Uranus is full of massive diamonds
Although the diamond formation lasted only fractions of the second, it was the first clear experimental proof of the theory.While the glittering precipitation has always been hypothesised, this is the first time that scientists have observed it in practice.
the methane compounds found in the deeper layers of ice giants.
In the experiment, almost every carbon atom of the original plastic was incorporated into small diamond structures.
Dr. Dominik Kraus, head of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) junior research group said the work had simulated conditions inside the cosmic giants more accurately than ever before.
The team, formed by American, British and German researchers, were able to mimic environments found deep inside those two icy giant planets of our Solar System and watched as tiny diamonds formed.
During the experiment the polystyrene was x-rayed using one of the brightest machine in the world to see the diamonds., which is housed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. However, according to scientists, the diamonds formed in the planets' core would be much larger, maybe millions of karats in weight.
While both have solid cores and atmospheres rich in gases including hydrogen and helium, the planets are largely made up a huge, slushy ocean of water, ammonia and substances known as hydrocarbons - molecules, such as methane, that are composed of hydrogen and carbon. When the plastic is hit with the laser, the shock waves overlap to create a region of extremely high pressure, forming the diamonds.
In order to understand what it's like on the surface of the planet, the team have come up with a novel solution: if we can't send scientists to visit Neptune, then Neptune will have to come to the scientists.
The next step for the researchers is applying the same method to look into the interior of other types of planets.
"We can't go inside the planets and look at them, so these laboratory experiments complement satellite and telescope observations", says Kraus.
The nano-diamonds also potentially have a multitude of different uses here on Earth, in the fields of medicine, scientific equipment and electronics.
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