Experimental Studies of Earth Materials at Extreme Pressure and Temperature Conditions of Planetary Interiors

行星是如何工作的？行星内部深处的大规模过程控制着表面发生的大部分事情。例如，热量和质量流在地球内部和从地核通过地幔引起板块运动，地震，并产生我们的生命保护磁场。 地球、水星、金星、火星和木星的卫星木卫一和木卫三的核心主要由铁（Fe）和约10- 20%的其他较轻元素（如硫（S）和/或硅（Si））组成。我们对核心模拟材料的物理和化学性质的了解，对于提高我们对这些行星体内部热量和质量流动的综合全球过程的理解至关重要。我的研究重点是高压（P），温度（T）实验研究的物质的物理化学性质在行星内部深处。 我们通过在四台大体积压力机上同时测量极端P（23 GPa）和T（2300 K）条件下的核和地幔物质的性质，将无法进入的行星内部深处带入实验室。我的团队将采用我们实验室开发的新技术来测量内核（Fe-S-Si）和地幔（蛇纹岩，橄榄石）材料的粘度，电导率和热导率，密度和声学特性。我们的短期目标是回答这样的问题：Fe-S和Fe-Si在核心中吗？这些二元系统的电导率和热导率是多少？溶质是否会影响这些性质？这些性质对于类地天体的地球发电机和传导热流等核心过程非常重要。 铀能溶解在铁中，成为地核中帮助驱动地球热力发动机的可能能源吗？深源地震是由矿物相变引发的吗？对行星材料微观行为的这些问题的回答，有助于更好地理解它们控制的宏观过程，并有助于解释行星如何工作。拟议的工作将涉及1名PDF，8名博士，2名硕士和2名理学士学生，1名研究助理和7名技术人员。我的HQP将接受实验高P，T矿物物理学的广泛培训，这将为他们在学术，政府和私营部门就业做好准备。

How do planets work? Large scale processes deep in the interior of planets control much of what happens on the surface. For example, heat and mass flow within and from Earth's core through the mantle causes plate motions, earthquakes, and generates our life-protecting magnetic field. The cores of terrestrial-like planetary bodies, Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter's moons Io and Ganymede, are composed mainly of iron (Fe) with ~10-20wt% of other lighter elements such as sulfur (S) and/or silicon (Si). Our knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of core mimetic materials is central to improving our understanding of the integrated global processes of heat and mass flow inside these planetary bodies. My research focuses on high pressure (P), temperature (T) experimental studies of the physico-chemical properties of the materials deep in planetary interiors. We bring the inaccessible deep interior of planets into the lab by measuring properties of core and mantle materials under simultaneous extreme P (23GPa) and T (2300K) conditions in four large volume presses. My team will employ novel techniques developed in our lab to measure viscosity, electrical and thermal conductivity, density, and acoustic properties of core (Fe-S-Si) and mantle (serpentinite, olivine) materials. Our short term goals are to answer questions such as: Are Fe-S and Fe-Si in the core? What are the electrical and thermal conductivities of these binary systems? Does the solute affect these properties which are so important for core processes such as the geodynamo and conductive heat flow in terrestrial-like bodies? Can uranium dissolve in Fe and be a possible energy source in the core that helps drive Earth's heat engine? Are deep earthquakes triggered by mineral phase transitions? Answers to these questions on the micro-scale behaviour of planetary materials lead to a better understanding of the macro-scale processes that they control and help explain how planets work. The proposed work will involve 1 PDF, 8 PhD, 2 MSc and 2 BSc students, 1 research assistant and 7 technical personnel. My HQP will receive extensive training in experimental high P,T mineral physics which will prepare them for employment in academic, government and private sectors.