Black and Hot, Universe's Most Common Ice

In this episode, we venture into the extreme target chambers of modern physics to explore superionic ice, or Ice XVIII.

We begin in 2019 at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, where scientists used gem-quality diamonds and one of the world's most powerful lasers to mimic the interior of alien worlds.

By blasting a trapped water droplet with an intense shockwave, they subjected it to millions of atmospheres of pressure and temperatures hitting 5,000°C—uncovering the first direct evidence of a material that defies classical thermodynamics.

We pull apart the mind-bending atomic architecture of this "ice zoo" phase. Under extreme planetary compression, water molecules completely break apart.

The heavy oxygen atoms freeze into a rigid, solid crystal lattice, while the hydrogen atoms turn into a soup of positively charged protons that flow freely through the gaps like a liquid.

We trace this discovery from its early 1988 roots as a doubted "supercomputer mirage" to its status today as a proven cosmic reality.

It turns out this dark crystal isn't a rare anomaly—it is likely the most common form of water in the universe, filling the deep interiors of ice giants across the galaxy.