Observation of plastic ice VII by quasi-elastic neutron scattering.

ABSTRACT: Water is the third most abundant molecule in the universe and a key component in the interiors of icy moons, giant planets and Uranus- and Neptune-like exoplanets^1-3. Owing to its distinct molecular structure and flexible hydrogen bonds that readily adapt to a wide range of pressures and temperatures, water forms numerous crystalline and amorphous phases^4-6. Most relevant for the high pressures and temperatures of planetary interiors is ice VII (ref. ⁴), and simulations have identified along its melting curve the existence of a so-called plastic phase^7-12 in which individual molecules occupy fixed positions as in a solid yet are able to rotate as in a liquid. Such plastic ice has not yet been directly observed in experiments. Here we present quas

SUBMITTER: Rescigno M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12003197 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature