Alien water properties within Neptune and Uranus examined by scientists

A group of scientists from International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, and University of California at Los Angeles have conducted new research that focusses on exploring existence of an alien model of water within interiors of ice giants Neptune and Uranus.

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Exploring alien waters on Neptune and Uranus

As part of study which is detailed in SISSA's press release, researchers have made use of a oretical computer model which gave m a representation of internal attributes of both planets. With help of this tool, researchers were also able to analyse electrical and rmal conductivity of water present on two planets. scientists have studied several different properties of bodies of stream that can be found in cores of both Neptune and Uranus.

“Hydrogen and oxygen are most common elements in Universe, toger with helium. It is easy to deduce that water is one of major constituents of many celestial bodies. Ganymede and Europe, satellites of Jupiter, and Enceladus, satellite of Saturn, present icy surfaces beneath which oceans of water lie. Neptune and Uranus are also probably composed primarily of water”, Federico Grasselli and Stefa Baroni, first and last author, explain.

Source: SISSA press release

As per ir observations, team estimated that two planets could have water eir in liquid state or in form of ice. findings also suggested that water could also be superionic, a phase of water that has very high temperatures and pressures. And while water could be available in any of forms, scientists have explained that water on both Neptune and Uranus is very different from what we have on Earth.

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Federico Grasselli and Stefa Baroni of International School for Advanced Studies and co-authors of study have stated, as mentioned in press release, that y cant think of ice as humans are used to in such exotic physical conditions.

“In such exotic physical conditions, we cant think of ice as we are used to. Even water is actually different, denser, with several molecules dissociated into positive and negative ions, thus carrying an electrical charge. Superionic water lies somewhere between liquid and solid phases: oxygen atoms of H2O molecule are organised in a crystalline lattice, while hydrogen atoms diffuse freely like in a charged fluid”.

Source: SISSA press release

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researchers also revealed that superionic water on planets is a lot more electrically conductive than what is found on Earth. y also suggested that superionic water could compose a huge part of dense inner layers of two planets. two scientists also revealed that electrical and rmal conduction dictates history of two planets. 

“ rmal and electrical transport coefficients dictate planet’s history, how and when it was formed, how it cooled down. It is refore crucial to analyse m with appropriate tools, like one we have developed. In particular, heat conduction properties that emerge from our study allow us to hyposise that existence of a frozen core may explain amalously low lumisity of Uranus as due to an extremely low heat flux from its interior towards surface.”

Source: SISSA press release

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Im credit: Federico Grasselli | SISSA School