Science
Researchers produce novel hexagonal ice under extreme heat and pressure
Slashdot reports that physicists created hexagonal close-packed ice at temperatures reaching 2,630 kelvins.
The short version
- Physicists synthesized hexagonal close-packed ice by compressing water up to 2.3 million atmospheres and heating it to 2,630 kelvins.[Slashdot]
- The experiment, led by Alexis Forestier, validates theoretical models predicting this configuration under extreme planetary conditions.[Slashdot]
- Thermal expansion signatures suggest the crystal transitions into a superionic state at roughly 1,700 kelvins.[Slashdot]
Key facts
- Physicists produced hexagonal close-packed ice at pressures reaching 230 gigapascals and temperatures up to 2,630 kelvins.[Slashdot]
- The research team was led by physicist Alexis Forestier from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission.[Slashdot]
- Experiments involved compressing water between diamond tips and using lasers for heating.[Slashdot]
- The study appeared in the journal Physical Review Letters.[Slashdot]
What remains uncertain
- Evidence that the ice entered a superionic phase at around 1,700 kelvins is inferred from crystal expansion behavior rather than definitively proved.[Slashdot]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.