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Science Highlights

Probing giant planets' dark hydrogen

Washington, D.C., 23 June 2016 — New work published in Physical Review Letters by the Geophysical Laboratory’s Alexander Goncharov and University of Edinburgh’s Stewart McWilliams measures the conditions under which hydrogen undergoes this transition in the lab and finds an intermediate state between gas and metal, which they’re calling “dark hydrogen.”
Rust under pressure could explain deep Earth anomalies

Washington, D.C., 8 June 2016— Using laboratory techniques to mimic the conditions found deep inside the Earth, a team of Geophysical Laboratory scientists led by Ho-Kwang “Dave” Mao has identified a form of iron oxide that they believe could explain seismic and geothermal signatures in the deep mantle.
Just what sustains Earth’s magnetic field anyway?

Washington, D.C., 1 June 2016— Earth's magnetic field shields us from deadly cosmic radiation, and without it, life as we know it could not exist here. The motion of liquid iron in the planet’s outer core, a phenomenon called a “geodynamo,” generates the field. But how it was first created and then sustained throughout Earth’s history has remained a mystery to scientists. New work published in Nature from a team led by the Geophysical Laboratory's Alexander Goncharov sheds light on the history of this incredibly important geologic occurrence.
Cohen Invited Speaker at AMTC5

Nagoya, Japan, 11 May 2016—Ronald Cohen was an invited speaker at the AMTC5 workshop in Nagoya May 11-13, 2016 and spoke on "Strong Coupling Ferroelectrics, How They Work and How They Can Be Improved."  He then visited ELSI (Earth and Life Sciences Institute) at Tokyo Tech and spoke on “First-principles studies of the deep Earth.”

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