Chemical processes in the deep interior of Uranus

Ricky Chau (), Sebastien Hamel and William J. Nellis
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Ricky Chau: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue
Sebastien Hamel: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue
William J. Nellis: Harvard University

Nature Communications, 2011, vol. 2, issue 1, 1-5

Abstract: Abstract The unusual magnetic fields of the planets Uranus and Neptune represent important observables for constraining and developing deep interior models. Models suggests that the unusual non-dipolar and non-axial magnetic fields of these planets originate from a thin convective and conducting shell of material around a stably stratified fluid core. Here, we present an experimental and computational study of the physical properties of a fluid representative of the interior of Uranus and Neptune. Our electrical conductivity results confirm that the core cannot be well mixed if it is to generate non-axisymmetric magnetic fields. The molecular dynamics simulations highlight the importance of chemistry on the properties of this complex mixture, including the formation of large clusters of carbon and nitrogen and a possible mechanism for a compositional gradient, which may lead to a stably stratified core.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1198

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