Physics took three Almaz Downloads

Scientists from the United States managed to squeeze a diamond under pressure more than three times. The results of their study, the authors have published an article in the journal Nature, which says that the maximum compression ratio, which has been achieved scientist was 3.7 times.

The pressure required for this turned out to be five terapascals (which is about 50 million Earth atmospheres). Diamond squeezed by a radiation of 176 laser beams, which created pressure on the substance, causing decrease the distance between the carbon atoms in the crystal lattice sites. According to the researchers, this led to the formation of a special degenerate electronic state of matter in the crystal, which is described by quantum statistics only in some approximations.

Diamond is one of the modifications of the compounds of carbon. It is believed that the mineral can exist in a stable state for a long time considerably. Also, it is characterized by high hardness and ordering of the crystal lattice.

Physicists believe that the reproduction in the laboratory the extreme conditions of high pressures and densities characteristic of the cores of giant planets, will make significant progress in the understanding of the internal mechanisms and structures, as well as the processes of evolution of celestial bodies. A study of carbon in extreme conditions may be useful for the progress in the field of nuclear fusion.