Something weird happens when you keep squeezing
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Published 2023-11-13
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Physicists have a pretty good handle on how stuff behaves on the surface of the Earth. But a lot of matter in the universe exists outside this narrow band of relatively low temperatures and pressures. Inside planets and stars, the crushing force of gravity begins to overwhelm the electromagnetic and nuclear forces that keep atoms apart and maintain the shapes of molecules.
What happens next? Scientists (including a consortia of researchers at the NSFâs Center for Matter at Atomic Pressuresââ) are just starting to figure that out. They use a variety of tools (including some humongous lasers) to simulate planetary cores and see what happens. A few standout findings so far:
Water can become a hot black ice that conducts electricity: www.quantamagazine.org/black-hot-superionic-ice-maâŚ
Hydrogen gas can be compressed down into a shiny metal: www.newscientist.com/article/2119442-metallic-hydrâŚ
Sodium (a soft, silvery metal at atmospheric pressure) can turn transparent: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312180838âŚ
Presented by the Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures (CMAP) at the University of Rochester,
a National Science Foundation (NSF) Physics Frontier Center, Award PHY-2020249 cmap.rochester.edu/
What happens under extreme pressures deep with planets also influences their ability to foster life. Check out our videos about the search for Earth-like worlds beyond our solar system:
What we found when we went looking for another Earth:    â˘Â What we found when we went looking fo... Â
How to find a planet you canât see:
   â˘Â How to find a planet you canât see Â
Hereâs a closer look at another giant laser (at the National Ignition Facility):
   â˘Â This giant laser can simulate a plane... Â
To see a classic film that takes a similar approach to understanding distances (from the microscopic to the galactic) check out âPowers of Tenâ:    â˘Â Powers of Tenâ˘Â (1977) Â
This material is based upon work of the Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures (CMAP), supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-2020249. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0003856, the University of Rochester, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
This video was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or any agency thereof.
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All Comments (21)
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This was absurdly well produced. Makes me feel like I'm a kid watching a science show on TV again.
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As a PhD student working on matters at high pressure, I am amazed by the scientific precision and easy-to-follow demonstration. Simply amazing.
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10/10 From Intro to Outro, even perfectly fitting music. Whatever team this scripted and produced, you are clearly perfectionists enjoying themselves.
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This is the first video in a while that actually kept me interested all the way through. Great job, the animation is amazing and such a hard topic was submitted in such simple form
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Absolute world class science communication
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loved the animation style and sound design. thank you for doing such a great job communicating science!
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This is arguably one of the best videos I've seen on this platform in terms of storytelling and production. Amanzing job!
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This video was perfect from start to finish, the topic , how the video was structured, animated and edited, what a masterpiece.
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Vox turning a new leaf and making science videos now. Love the video btw.
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I really appreciate you traveling all the way to the center of the sun for this video; really demonstrates your dedication to your work
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This was a really friggin well made video. High energy density and high pressure physics are fascinating
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The very unconventional style of the visuals works perfectly! More please!!
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I love how Vox made this highly technical topic interesting to the average people like me. More of this please! đ
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I think this is my new favorite vox episode The story telling The animations The graphics The content And especially the end Great job
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I love these videos, it shows that every expert understands so slightly more than the average person that we all truly know nothing as truth.
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A pure masterpiece of a video! Absolutely amazing work. đđźđđź
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I haven't seen something this amazingly well created from Vox in a while. More please!
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Obviously the visuals were amazing, but lets congratulate the sound design and music as well! Fantastic video!
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Well done, what an excellent production. Thank-you!
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6:20 they really need a sound system with cool effects when that thing goes off. Seems like a very boring career without that
