New research shows that Saturn Jupiter or millions of tons of diamonds
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Evidence has shown that thunderstorms on Saturn can actively produce carbon particles; in addition, a new round of laboratory experiments and simulations show the properties of carbon in extreme environments. Therefore, the two scientists came up with the idea that both Saturn and Jupiter could provide a stable environment for the formation of diamonds.
Studies have shown that the diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter are formed by lightning thunderstorms. "We now know that the maximum temperature limit for solid diamonds is 8,000 °K. If it is higher, the diamond will melt. And, for Saturn and We can also measure the pressure and temperature distribution inside Jupiter more accurately,†said Kevin Baines, a planetary scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “These two situations are combined for the first time. It shows that solid diamonds may exist in a large vertical area of ​​two planets.†This week, at a meeting in Denver, Colorado, researchers submitted the research paper, and Baines was the collaborator of the paper. .
According to earlier theories, only Uranus and Neptune are considered to be planets that can produce diamonds. Scientists suggest that the high temperatures and high pressures on the two planets may convert methane from the atmosphere directly into diamonds and then fall into the interior of the two planets.
According to scientists, Saturn and Jupiter are much cooler and have much less methane. Therefore, they usually think that these two planets do not have the ability to produce these gems.
About 0.5% of methane in Saturn's atmosphere is methane; in Jupiter's atmosphere, only about 0.2% is methane. However, on Uranus and Neptune, nearly 15% of the atmosphere is made up of methane.
According to Baines, the Cassini spacecraft found giant lightning thunderstorms in Saturn's upper clouds, and the same lightning thunderstorms found on Jupiter, which may be the main cause of diamond formation. event. The black storm area seen from the infrared picture is considered to be the area where methane molecules are decomposed into carbon. This carbon is most likely a soot particle.
This new theory states that once soot particles are formed, the amorphous carbon sinks in the atmosphere until it reaches the same density and then transforms into graphite under increasing pressure; graphite continues to fall into the deeper atmosphere of Saturn, Graphite is converted into a solid diamond until pressure and temperature build up.
“In this way, about 1,000 tons of diamonds are produced each year. I estimate that in the 30,000-kilometer-thick layer of diamonds, there are about 10 million tons of diamonds formed in this way,†says Baines.
Liquid diamond ocean
At the deepest level of Jupiter's atmosphere, the environment is extremely extreme. In fact, diamonds may form a sea of ​​liquid diamonds. Baines said: "Under the layer where the diamond melts, the atmosphere containing atomic hydrogen and ionized hydrogen becomes extremely destructive. It is likely that the liquid diamonds there have been converted into other materials."
However, inside Uranus and Neptune, the temperature is much lower, never reaching 8,000°K, so on these relatively distant planets, diamonds are likely to never melt.
“So we can say that diamonds are likely to exist forever on Uranus and Neptune, but not for Saturn and Jupiter forever,†said the planet scientist and research paper at the California Department of Engineering in Pasadena, California. Author Mona Delitsky said.
However, William Hubbard, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, expressed his skepticism about the carbon chemistry proposed in the study. He believes that lightning thunderstorms on Saturn produce too little soot to form diamonds, and as it falls into the deeper atmosphere, soot is likely to be destroyed by increasing pressure and rising temperatures. "The carbon that is decomposed by heat may only form a solution with hydrogen, but it will not precipitate and become a diamond," Hubbard said.
"Diamond Iceberg"
The extent to which these cosmic diamonds may be large is based on speculation. Dalitsky believes that the original size of these diamonds may be only one micron, just as the ash particles produced by lightning are generally large. As they descend into the deeper inner regions of the planet, these particles gradually increase, much like raindrops, eventually forming at least as large as peas... some become so big that they can even be called "diamond icebergs" Now!
“These diamonds are likely to be much larger than nano-scale diamonds, and they can be quite large chunks, you can hold them in your hands,†Dalitsky continued. “In the long-term future, robotic detectors will It is possible to go to the depths of these gaseous superstars to mine these diamonds."
This research paper was submitted to the 45th annual meeting of the Planetary Science Branch of the American Astronomical Society.