Diamonds Help Scientists Study Saturn

Diamonds aren't just beautiful - they may help scientists learn more about other planets.  Diamonds are being used by scientists to learn about conditions on Saturn.  As part of efforts to simulate the conditions in Saturn’s core, scientists have harnessed the power of the planet’s strongest laser in order to crush diamonds, the hardest material found in nature.

The scientists were able to compress the carbon crystal to the point that the diamond experienced Saturn’s core pressure, which is 14 times that of the center of the Earth.  Researchers hope the experiment will help them learn more about the conditions deep below the surfaces of giant, carbon-rich planets.

Although scientists do not know what lies at the hearts of planets such as Saturn or Jupiter, they can now study how matter exists under these extreme conditions of pressure and temperature.  The experiments provide a method for recreating conditions within the cores of giant gas planets – both within our solar system and beyond.

Inside the National Ignition Facility (shown above) the scientists focused 176 laser beams onto a diamond that was just millimeters in size.  The diamond, secured in place at the center of a 10-meter capsule, was measured to be at the density of lead before the laser’s energy vaporized it.

The National Ignition Facility may look familiar.  Its target chamber famously doubled as the Starship Enterprise's "warp core" in the movie Star Trek: Into Darkness!

While future experiments will examine how the diamond’s behavior changes in different scenarios, the recent research proves that carbon crystals can withstand crushing conditions.