Related papers: Origin of superionic state in Earth's inner core

The properties and stability of hydrous phases are key to unraveling the mysteries of the water cycle in Earth's interior. Under the deep lower mantle conditions, hydrous phases transition into a superionic state. However, the influence of…

Exoplanets with masses similar to that of Earth have recently been discovered in extrasolar systems. A first order question for understanding their dynamics is to know whether they possess Earth like liquid metallic cores. However, the iron…

Ascertaining rocky exoplanets dynamic evolution requires better understanding of key internal thermophysical processes that shaped their geological surfaces, heat fluxes, volatiles and atmospheric content. New high-pressure experiments on…

The structure and stability of iron near melting at multi-megabar pressures are of significant interest in high pressure physics and earth and planetary sciences. While the body-centered cubic (BCC) phase is generally recognized as unstable…

Internal redox reactions may irreversibly alter the mantle composition and volatile inventory of terrestrial and super-Earth exoplanets and affect the prospects for atmospheric observations. The global efficacy of these mechanisms, however,…

It has long been assumed the Earth's solid inner core started to grow when molten iron cooled to its melting point. However, the nucleation mechanism, which is a necessary step of crystallization, has not been well understood. Recent…

Earth possesses a persistent, internally-generated magnetic field, whereas no trace of a dynamo has been detected on Venus, at present or in the past, although a high surface temperature and recent resurfacing events may have removed…

There has been a long debate on the stable phase of iron under the Earth's inner core conditions. Because of the solid-liquid coexistence at the inner core boundary, the thermodynamic stability of solid phases directly relates to their…

The Earth acts as a gigantic heat engine driven by decay of radiogenic isotopes and slow cooling, which gives rise to plate tectonics, volcanoes, and mountain building. Another key product is the geomagnetic field, generated in the liquid…

Using density functional molecular dynamics free energy calculations, we show that the body-centered-cubic phase of superionic ice previously believed to be the only phase is in fact thermodynamically unstable compared to a novel phase with…

Superionic hydrogen was previously thought to be an exotic state predicted and confirmed only in pure H2O ice. In Earth's deep interior, H2O exists in the form of O-H groups in ultra-dense hydrous minerals, which have been proved to be…

In this work we generalize the notion of convective inhibition to apply in cases where there is an infinite reservoir of condensible species (i.e., an ocean). We propose a new model for the internal structure and thermal evolution of…

Iron-bearing oxides undergo a series of pressure-induced electronic, spin and structural transitions that can cause seismic anomalies and dynamic instabilities in Earth's mantle and outer core. We employ x-ray diffraction and x-ray emission…

The transport properties of iron under Earth's inner core conditions are essential input for the geophysical modelling but are poorly constrained experimentally. Here we show that the thermal and electrical conductivity of iron at those…

Inorganic electrides are a new class of compounds catering to the interest of scientists due to the multiple usages exhibited by interstitial electrons in the lattice. However, the influence of the shape and distribution of interstitial…

Elemental calcium (Ca), a simple metal at ambient conditions, has attracted huge interest because of its unusual high-pressure behavior in structural, electrical, and melting properties whose origin remain unsolved. Here, using a…

Knowing the transport properties of iron under realistic conditions present in the Earth's core is essential for the geophysical modeling of Earth's magnetic field generation. Besides by extreme pressures and temperatures, transport may be…

The ever-expanding catalog of detected super-Earths calls for theoretical studies of their properties in the case of a substantial water layer. This work considers such water planets with a range of masses and water mass fractions (2 to 5…

In this work, we demonstrate a remarkable change of chemical trend of Iron under high pressure that is of great importance for understanding the distribution of elements in the Earth's mantle and core. Using first principles crystal…

Earth's water, intrinsic oxidation state, and metal core density are fundamental chemical features of our planet. Studies of exoplanets provide a useful context for elucidating the source of these chemical traits. Planet formation and…