Laser experiments reveal how pressure changes magnesium oxide in planetary interiors

Researchers at LLNL and Johns Hopkins University compressed magnesium oxide crystals with lasers at up to 572 GPa and 13,000 K. The direction of compression changed the crystal's response, and MgO melted at record experimental pressure and temperature.

• 572 GPa and 13,000 K exceed conditions at Earth's center (360 GPa, 6,000 K)
• Compression along the cube diagonal behaved differently than perpendicular to a face
• MgO melted at 572 GPa and 13,000 K, a new experimental record
• Findings matter for modeling interiors of super-Earths and gas giants