New ice phase discovered at room temperature.
A new phase of ice, ice XXI, forms at room temperature under extreme pressure, discovered using the world's largest X-ray laser.
Why it matters
- Expands our understanding of ice phases.
- Implications for conditions on icy moons and planets.
By the numbers
- Pressure applied: up to 2 gigapascals (20,000 times sea level pressure).
- Images captured: 1 million per second.
The big picture
- Ice XXI has a unique tetragonal crystal structure with 152 water molecules in its repeating units.
- It's an intermediary stage in forming another exotic ice phase, ice VI.
What they're saying
- Discovery sparked interest and humor, with references to science fiction.
Caveats
- Experiment conducted under extreme conditions not typically found on Earth.
What’s next
- More research could uncover additional unknown phases of ice.