Until now, we thought ice was just frozen water, right? Well, scientists have now found a new form of ice, called superionic ice, a very novel research that has turned everything we know about physics upside down: it can stay solid at very high temperatures, and by high, we mean thousands of degrees. And if you’re wondering what this discovery is for… Does Neptune sound good to you? And Uranus? Two of the planets that hold the most mysteries in our solar system, well, they could be composed of this variant of water. We tell you everything we know so far about this new kind of ice.
What is superionic ice and why is it so strange?
Perhaps we never thought that there could be several types of ice, but this, the superionic, unlike the one we already know (which is simply solidified water), allows the movement of hydrogen atoms within its structure, which is why it is so novel, because it allows the atoms to be driven within its structure. This type of ice is formed under extreme pressure and that is why it is believed that it could be related to Uranus and Neptune.
It has been five years since scientists managed to recreate this substance in a laboratory. It was researchers from several universities in the United States and the laboratory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California (SLAC) who discovered a new phase of superionic ice.
Although scientists first managed to create this substance in a lab five years ago, recent research has revealed an even stranger phase of superionic ice: Ice XIX, which has even more pronounced electrical properties. This discovery has captured the attention of the entire scientific community.
Key to understanding our solar system
That’s right, the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune could have a lot to do with this strange ice, and the fact is that both planets have somewhat chaotic and unbalanced magnetic fields with several poles, something that does not happen on Earth because, as we know, we only have two poles.
Perhaps, it is complicated for us to think about this because for us (as terrestrial beings) water is a simple molecule substance shaped like an “elbow”, formed by an oxygen atom joined to two hydrogens that settle in a fixed position when the water freezes.
But superionic ice is completely different.
According to researchers, if the interiors of these planets contain layers of superionic ice with different levels of conductivity, this could explain why their magnetic fields are so irregular.
How did they discover it?
This is a structure where oxygen atoms in superionic ice are locked into a solid cubic lattice, while ionized hydrogen atoms break free and flow through that lattice like electrons through metals.
The latest study comes from Stanford University, and was conducted by Arianna Gleason. This physicist sandwiched sheets of water between two layers of a diamond, blasting water with powerful lasers, reaching temperatures of up to 5,000 Kelvin (8,500 °F). They then used X-rays to analyse its crystal structure, discovering that it was a completely new form of solid water.
Diffraction patterns (the techniques used to visualize how the atoms are organized within this material) confirmed that these patterns were not the same as those studied in 2019, but rather that it was a new, cubic structure that also had greater conductivity (allows hydrogen ions to move more easily).
Following this discovery, dozens of questions have occurred to our scientists about water in the universe. Will there be life adapted to such extreme conditions? Who knows? Now it is their turn to continue researching and carrying out experiments with what they have already discovered in order to better understand the planets around us.