Recent research from Dr. Michael B. Davies has discovered some very promising trends. Ice is one of the most important building blocks of the universe, and space ice mystery is more complicated than scientists assumed. Jointly led by experts at UCL and the University of Cambridge, the study was published in Nature Climate Change. They found that apparently homogeneous space ice has miniscule crystalline domains frozen into a largely amorphous base. This discovery upends previous beliefs that the ice in space was completely random.
These new observations have led the study authors to conclude that space ice is made up of about 20% crystalline, 80% amorphous materials. These crystalline structures are exceptionally small—only three nanometers wide. These discoveries about the nature of space ice might greatly influence theories about how life originated on Earth.
The Structure of Space Ice
The study combined AI and high-performance computing to build detailed physical models of how ice forms in space. Simulations quickly supercooled water to an extreme -120 degrees Celsius. This extreme temperature shift replicated some of the most brutal conditions experienced in outer space. The researchers performed X-ray diffraction studies that allowed them to compare their results with low-density amorphous ice. That distinct comparison helped deepen our understanding of the atomic structure of space ice.
Dr. Davies, left, showing some of the unique properties of ice in the cold depths of space. He stated, “Ice is potentially a high-performance material in space. It could shield spacecraft from radiation or provide fuel in the form of hydrogen and oxygen. So we need to know about its various forms and properties.”
Ice in space is not simply a frozen photo of liquid water, upending the prevailing wisdom. Results reveal that the space ice structure is crystalline. This structure has a powerful influence on some of the most important cosmological processes such as planet formation and galaxy evolution.
Implications for Cosmology and Life
The find has bigger implications, too, especially for understanding the behavior of ice in contact with other substances and processes throughout the universe. Dr. Davies noted, “This is important, as ice is involved in many cosmological processes, for instance, in how planets form, how galaxies evolve, and how matter moves around the universe.”
Professor Christoph Salzmann from UCL Chemistry, who co-authored the study, explained why these findings are so significant. As he put it, “Ice on Earth is a cosmological curiosity because we are so hot. Its structured yet free-flowing nature is represented in the radial symmetry of a snowflake. Ice in the rest of the universe has for a long time been considered a copy of our liquid water. It stands in for a chaotic array that has been concretized. Our research indicates that this just isn’t the case.
This exotic new arrangement of space ice could help answer more profound questions, like how life first emerged here on Earth. If we can confirm that there are crystalline structures there, it raises the possibility that some of the processes needed for life to emerge may have happened off-world.
Broader Applications and Future Research
This study broadens the prospects for future research on amorphous materials and their potential uses in advanced technologies. Professor Salzmann pointed out, “Our results raise questions about amorphous materials in general. These materials have important uses in much advanced technology: for instance, glass fibers that transport data long distances need to be amorphous or disordered for their function. If they do contain tiny crystals and we can remove them, this will improve their performance.”
Understanding the characteristics of space ice enhances knowledge of extraterrestrial environments and provides insights that may help refine technologies used on Earth.