UNLV researchers have discovered a new form of ice, redefining the properties of high-pressure water.

UNLV researchers have discovered a new form of ice, redefining the properties of high-pressure water.

The findings could have implications for our understanding of distant, water-rich planets.

The findings could have implications for our understanding of distant, water-rich planets.

A team of scientists working in UNLV's Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab pioneered a new method for measuring the properties of water under high pressure. The water sample was first squeezed between the tips of two opposite-facing diamonds—freezing into several jumbled ice crystals. The ice was then subjected to a laser-heating technique that temporarily melted it before it quickly re-formed into a powder-like collection of tiny crystals.

A team of scientists working in UNLV's Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab pioneered a new method for measuring the properties of water under high pressure. The water sample was first squeezed between the tips of two opposite-facing diamonds—freezing into several jumbled ice crystals. The ice was then subjected to a laser-heating technique that temporarily melted it before it quickly re-formed into a powder-like collection of tiny crystals.

The scientists made Ice-VIIt in the lab by squeezing water at a pressure more than 50,000 that found at sea level.

The scientists made Ice-VIIt in the lab by squeezing water at a pressure more than 50,000 that found at sea level.