UNLV Study Finds Water Changes Structure Under Extreme Pressure
Physicists Compress Water to Replicate Ice Giant Interiors
Physicists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) have demonstrated that water undergoes structural atomic changes under extreme pressure, adopting a lower-symmetry configuration rather than the expected higher-symmetry arrangements. Mirage News reported the findings from a study published on Oct. 15, 2026, in the journal Communications Chemistry, a Nature Portfolio journal.
The Tech TL;DR:
- Researchers subjected water samples to 35 million PSI using diamonds to mimic conditions inside ice giants like Neptune and Uranus.
- X-ray spectroscopy revealed that squeezed water shifts into a lower-symmetry solid atomic structure instead of compressing into uniform higher-symmetry arrangements.
- The study, titled “Evidence for symmetry-reduction in solid H2O above 222 GPa,” was co-authored by researchers from UNLV, the University of California, Berkeley, and Argonne National Laboratory.
Diamonds Replicate 222 GPa Planetary Pressures
The research team led by UNLV physicist Ashkan Salamat compressed water samples between two diamonds, utilizing the hardness of the material to reach approximately 222 gigapascals (GPa), or 35 million pounds per square inch (PSI). For comparison, a standard car tire operates at roughly 30 PSI. By applying these pressures, the laboratory replicated interior planetary conditions comparable to those found inside ice giants such as Neptune and Uranus. These planets consist largely of molten, metallic-like water, ammonia, and methane.
While direct entry into the crusts or atmospheres of these planets remains impossible due to extreme distance, researchers rely on data from missions like the Voyager program to determine internal pressure and temperature profiles. Using spectroscopy and X-rays to analyze atomic structural arrangements, the lab team mapped how the chemistry of water alters under heavy compression. Typically, compressing materials forces atoms closer together into higher-symmetry arrangements, but the UNLV study shows water behaves differently by forming a lower-symmetry version of its previous self.
Water Changes Structure Under Planetary Scale Pressures
Data from the study indicate that water acts as a structural shapeshifter under planetary-scale pressures, existing in forms vastly different from those observed under ambient terrestrial conditions. If the extreme pressure were to be released, the water samples would rearrange themselves back into standard structures common on Earth. According to Ashkan Salamat, director of the Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab, understanding the mechanisms of our solar system and our observable universe is critical for the endeavor of human knowledge.
The research paper, titled “Evidence for symmetry-reduction in solid H2O above 222 GPa,” was published on Oct. 15, 2026, in Communications Chemistry. Co-authors on the publication include Zachary Grande, Victor Robinson, Dean Smith, Jesse Smith, Oliver Tschauner, and Burkhard Militzer, representing contributions from UNLV, the University of California, Berkeley, and Argonne National Laboratory.