Not just solid, liquid and gas: Scientists discover fourth form of water that might be on alien planets
SCIENCE & TECH | Although, a number of theoretical models in the past have predicted the presence of 'plastic ice VII', this is the first time that scientists found real proof of its existence.
Water exists in there forms - solid, liquid and gas - that's what our textbooks have taught us. But a recent study found that a different form of water called plastic ice VII might be present out there in the alien world.
Although, a number of theoretical models in the past have predicted the presence of 'plastic ice VII', this is the first time that scientists found real proof of its existence.
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A team of researchers from the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France created plastic ice VII by squeezing water up to pressures of 6 gigapascal and heating it to temperatures as high as 327C (620F). They used high-calibre instruments, the study published in the Nature said.
The team of scientists used quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS). It's a method that tracks the movement of tiny particles like hydrogen atoms.
The latest revealing has now confirmed a 17-year-old prediction that hydrogens within Ice VII swivel at a microscopic level when subjected to high temperatures and pressure.
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The physicist Maria Rescigno, associated with the study, said, "The ability of QENS to probe both the translational and rotational dynamics is a unique advantage for the exploration of such exotic phase transitions compared to other spectroscopic techniques."
"The QENS measurements suggested a different molecular rotation mechanism for plastic ice VII than the free rotor behaviour initially expected," she added.
But it is not known what happens to this structure when it "melts".
