According to new research from UCL and the University of Cambridge, “Space Ice” contains small crystals, and is not a completely disordered material like liquid water, as previously thought.
Space ice is different from ice in the form of crystals on Earth, and for decades, scientists have assumed it is structureless, meaning at cold temperatures there is not enough energy to form crystals when frozen.
The new study investigated low-density amorphous ice, the most common ice form in the universe. It exists as something that exists in comets, ice moons, and dust clouds where stars and planets form.
They found a computer simulation of the best matched measurements from previous experiments when this ice was not completely amorphous and contained small crystals embedded in its disordered structure (approximately 3 nanometers wide, slightly wider than DNA).
The final structure depends on how the ice in the universe occurs
In experimental studies, they also recrystallized (i.e., made warm) actual samples of amorphous space ice formed in a variety of ways.
They found that the final crystal structure differed depending on how amorphous ice was generated. If the ice was completely indefinite (completely impaired), the researchers concluded that it would not retain the engraving of the previous shape.
“We are a scientist at UCL Physics & Astronomy and Cambridge University,” said lead author Michael Davies, who carried out the work as part of his PhD.
“This is because ice is involved in many cosmological processes, for example, planet formation, galaxy evolution, and how matter moves around the universe.”
Findings can help you speculate about the origin of life
The findings also influence speculative theories about the origins of life on Earth.
According to a theory known as the Panpan Patient, the components of life are carried here on ice comets, and low-density amorphous ice acts as a type of space shuttle material through which components such as simple amino acids are transported.
“Our findings suggest that this ice is not a transport material of the origin of these biological molecules, because in part the crystal structure has a space where these components are unlikely to be embedded,” explained Dr. Davis.
“However, the theory could still retain the truth, as there are amorphous regions within the ice that can be stored and confined to the building blocks of life.”
Professor Christoph Salzmann, co-author of UCL Chemistry, added:
“Space Ice has long been considered a snapshot of liquid water, meaning that the impaired arrangement is properly fixed. Our findings show that this is not entirely true.”
He added: “Our results also raise questions about amorphous materials in general, which have important applications in advanced technology.
For example, the fiberglass that transport data must either be transported long distances or be disordered for its function. If they contain small crystals and you can remove them, this will improve performance. ”
Additional questions regarding the nature of amorphous ice
The researchers said their findings raised many additional questions about the nature of amorphous ice. For example, it depends on whether the size of the crystals differs depending on how the amorphous ice is formed, and whether amorphous ice is truly possible.
Amorphous ice was first discovered in its low density form in the 1930s, when scientists condense water vapor on metal surfaces cooled to -110°C. Its high density state was discovered in the 1980s when ordinary ice was compressed at about -200°C.
The research team discovered medium density space ice in 2023. It was found to have the same density as liquid water, so it was not submerged or floated in water.
“Water is the foundation of life, but even so, we don’t fully understand it. Amorphous ice may hold the key to explain many anomalies in water,” said Professor Angelo Smikael Ride, a co-author from Cambridge University.
Source link
