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NIF Compresses Diamonds With 50 Million Atmospheres of Pressure

Posted by Unknown on from the memories-bring-diamonds-and-lasers dept.

sciencehabit (1205606) writes The world's largest laser [the National Ignition Facility], a machine that appeared as the warp core in 'Star Trek into Darkness', has attained a powerful result: It's squeezed diamond, the least compressible substance known, 50 million times harder than Earth's atmosphere presses down on us. ... As the researchers report online today in Nature, the x-ray assault nearly quadrupled the diamond's density. "That's a record," Smith [one of the researchers] says. "No one's compressed diamond to that extent before." The blast pulverized the diamond into dust, but before the mineral's destruction the scientists successfully measured its density ... For a billionth of a second, the diamond, which is normally 3.25 times denser than water, became ... 12.03 times denser than water. ... Scientists have speculated that diamond worlds may exist elsewhere. If a solar system arises with more carbon than oxygen, then carbon should soak up the oxygen by forming carbon monoxide, leaving excess carbon to create carbon planets—which, under pressure, become diamond worlds. Thus, Smith says, the new experiment will probe the nature of such planets. They are performing similar experiments with iron in an attempt to understand the properties of super-Earth cores.

6 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. There is only one "Solar system" by adric22 · · Score: 3, Informative

    I see that mistake so often. It should be "star system" because only our star system is called "Solar system" because our star is called Sol.

    1. Re: There is only one "Solar system" by tysonedwards · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Solar System" in this case would be a specific noun, and as such warrants the capitalization. Sol, our Star, is also a specific noun, hence its warrant of capitalization, just as we would capitalize a person's name. If one is referring to "a solar system" in a generic sense rather than an unknown but implied specific Star and it's surrounding Planets, then lower case is appropriate.

      --
      Thirty four characters live here.
  2. Re:Car analogy? by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 3, Funny

    In automotive terms, they dropped a Hummer from the SpaceX reusable rocket at the peak of a test-launch and for an infinitesimaly[sic] small period of time before the impact, it got almost the same MPG of a Pinto, before shattering into a pile of scrap metal.

  3. Re:Car analogy? by gmhowell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can someone explain this with a car analogy?

    Star Trek Into Darkness:Star Trek The Wrath of Khan :: Ford Pinto : Ford Mustang (1969 Boss version)

    No idea about the laser.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  4. The missing link by scdeimos · · Score: 3, Informative

    Disappointing that the Star Trek tie-in was mentioned but the link was omitted...

    National Ignition Facility provides backdrop for "Star Trek: Into Darkness"

  5. Is this a spin-off from "Will It Blend" ? by slincolne · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can't sustain fusion, so let's use the nice shiny laser to zap things and pretend its science :-)