2024-02-18 03:24:50
Scientists have discovered new details about the formation and manifestation of diamond rain on planets such as Neptune, Uranus, or similar exoplanets (planets outside our solar system).
The work is the work of an international team led by Mingo Frost of the SLAC National Particle Accelerator Laboratory in the United States. The team also includes experts from the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY). For the research, the XFEL, a European X-ray free electron laser located at a facility in Schenefeld, Germany, was used.
In previous experiments using X-ray lasers, it was already discovered that diamonds can be formed quite easily from carbon compounds at the pressures and temperatures prevailing inside gas giant planets rich in water, ammonia and hydrocarbons. After their formation, diamonds slowly sink into the planetary interior as a result of the force of gravity and the difference in densities, giving rise to a “rain” of precious stones from higher layers.
A new experiment carried out at XFEL has now shown that the formation of diamonds from carbon compounds occurs at lower pressures and temperatures than previously assumed. In the case of Neptune and Uranus, this means that the diamond shower may start higher up than initially thought and should have a greater influence on the planet’s magnetic field. In addition, diamond rain should also be possible on gaseous planets smaller than Neptune and Uranus, so-called “mini-neptunes,” which are one of the most common types of exoplanets discovered outside our solar system.
After their formation, diamonds can drag gas and ice as they descend from the outer to the inner layers of the planet, causing flows of material. The new results show that diamonds form on a layer of conductive ice that churns as diamonds fall through it. The currents of conductive fluids act as a kind of dynamo through which the magnetic fields of the planets are generated. “The diamond rain is likely to influence the formation of the complex magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune,” says Frost.
Artistic recreation of the phenomenon colloquially described as “rain of diamonds” on a planet like Neptune or Uranus. After their formation at a certain altitude, diamonds descend towards the depths of the planet. This unique rain also influences the planet’s magnetic field.
By: Science News (Image: European XFEL / Tobias Wüstefeld)