Scientists compressed a water drop between two diamonds and bombarded it with the world's most powerful laser to the temperature similar to that of a star, resulting in a mysterious water state At present, scientists call it "superionic conductor ice". This strange black water structure exists under the pressure and temperature conditions in the center of the earth. This discovery will help researchers investigate and analyze the secrets hidden in the cores of other stars.
Previously, researchers used shock waves to create this strange ice structure, but it melted in only 20 nanoseconds. This latest experiment marks the first time that scientists have created stable supersonic ice that lasts long enough. On October 14, the journal Nature Physics published the research report. "This is a surprise. Everyone thinks that water in this state is difficult to replicate and must be formed under higher pressure," said beatali pracapone, a geophysicist at the University of Chicago Liquid, steam and ice are the most common states of water, but water molecules can also form other arrangements representing different structures. In fact, scientists have identified 20 states of water ice - hydrogen and oxygen atoms will combine in different ways at different temperatures and pressures.
The newly discovered "superionic conductor ice" is the 18th state of ice and one of the most special ice structures discovered so far, because its oxygen atom is locked when water is a solid, but its hydrogen atom becomes an ion after it breaks away from the electron, so the atomic nucleus deprives them of their electrons, so it is positively charged and can pass through the ice freely like a liquid.
Pracapone said: "One can imagine a cube. Oxygen atoms are solid points of the cube, which are connected by hydrogen atoms to form a cubic lattice. When it turns into a superionic state, the lattice will expand, allowing the hydrogen atoms to move around, while the oxygen atoms remain stable, which is a bit like a solid oxygen lattice floating in the ocean of hydrogen atoms. These swimming hydrogen atoms prevent light from passing through the ice in a predictable way, This makes the ice black. "