2 research outputs found
The Speed of Sound in Methane under Conditions of the Thermal Boundary Layer of Uranus
We present the first direct observations of acoustic waves in warm dense
matter. We analyze wavenumber- and energy-resolved X-ray spectra taken from
warm dense methane created by laser-heating a cryogenic liquid jet. X-ray
diffraction and inelastic free electron scattering yield sample conditions of
0.30.1 eV and 0.80.1 g/cm, corresponding to a pressure of
13 GPa and matching the conditions predicted in the thermal boundary
layer between the inner and outer envelope of Uranus. Inelastic X-ray
scattering was used to observe the collective oscillations of the ions. With a
highly improved energy resolution of 50 meV, we could clearly distinguish
the Brillouin peaks from the quasi-elastic Rayleigh feature. Data at different
wavenumbers were used to obtain a sound speed of 5.90.5 km/s, which
enabled us to validate the use of Birch's law in this new parameter regime.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures with supplementary informatio
Speed of sound in methane under conditions of planetary interiors
We present direct observations of acoustic waves in warm dense matter. We analyze wave-number- and energy-resolved x-ray spectra taken from warm dense methane created by laser heating a cryogenic liquid jet. X-ray diffraction and inelastic free-electron scattering yield sample conditions of 0.3±0.1 eV and 0.8±0.1 g/cm−3, corresponding to a pressure of ∼13 GPa. Inelastic x-ray scattering was used to observe the collective oscillations of the ions. With a highly improved energy resolution of ∼50 meV, we could clearly distinguish the Brillouin peaks from the quasielastic Rayleigh feature. Data at different wave numbers were utilized to derive a sound speed of 5.9±0.5 km/s, marking a high-temperature data point for methane and demonstrating consistency with Birch's law in this parameter regime. Published by the American Physical Society 202