2015/03/03 by W. J. Nellis, Nellis, W. J.
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Astro and Planetary Science #Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) #FOS: Physical sciences #High-pressure geophysics and materials #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #astro-ph.EP #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1503.01042
9, pages
openalex publication_date 2015/03/03 · arxiv created 2015/03/05 · arxiv updated 2015/03/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The magnetic fields of the Ice Giant Planets Uranus and Neptune (U/N) are unique in the solar system. Based on a substantial database measured on Earth for representative planetary fluids at representative dynamic pressures up to 200 GPa (2 Mbar) and a few 1000 K, the complex magnetic fields of U/N are (i) probably made primarily by degenerate metallic fluid H (MFH) at or near the crossover from the H-He envelopes to Ice cores at ~100 GPa (Mbar) pressures and normalized radii of ~90% of the radii of U/N; (ii) because those magnetic fields are made relatively close to the surfaces of U/N, non-dipolar fields can be expected; (iii) the Ice cores are most probably a heterogeneous fluid mixture of H, N, O, C, Fe/Ni and silicate-oxides and their mutual reaction products at high pressures and temperatures,as discussed elsewhere. Ironically, there is probably little nebular Ice in the Ice Giant Planets.