Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that could explain the presence of water on certain exoplanets. In laboratory experiments, scientists simulated extreme conditions found within these distant worlds by blasting olivine, a mineral abundant in planetary interiors, with high-energy lasers in the presence of hydrogen gas.
This process strips the minerals of their oxygen atoms, which then react with the hydrogen to form water. The team, led by Harrison Horn, a planetary scientist at the Lawrence ___rmore National Laboratory in California, reports their findings in the October 29 issue of Nature. The discovery offers a viable explanation for water-rich exoplanets orbiting close to their host stars.
Hundreds of exoplanets with sizes and masses between Earth and Neptune have been discovered, many of which orbit far closer to their stars than Earth orbits the sun. Their estimated densities suggest they possess rocky interiors covered by a thick layer of water or hydrogen. However, it's unclear how these planets could be so water-rich. In the solar system, there's a clear divide between planets formed on either side of the "snow line." Inside that line, water is scarce, vaporized by the sun.
Venus is an example. Planets formed outside the snow line, like Saturn and Neptune, are rich in water and gas.
In laboratory experiments, researchers simulated extreme conditions found within certain exoplanets by blasting olivine — a mineral abundant in ...Here's one of the sources related to this article: Visit website
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