Shock compression of stishovite and melting of silica at planetary interior conditions

Abstract

Melting silica in massive planets To simulate the extreme conditions inside large planets requires extreme experiments. Millot et al. used high-pressure shock waves almost twice that of the center of Earth to melt silica, one of the primary components of planetary interiors. This was possible only by shocking a very dense form of silica called stishovite. Determining the melting point of silica is vital for developing better computational models of the interior of planets several times the mass of Earth. The high-pressure liquid was electrically conductive, a property that may contribute to magnetic dynamos in very large terrestrial exoplanets. Science , this issue p. 418