The fate of hydrogen and helium in planetary formation is a captivating journey, one that reveals the secrets of how our Earth and Neptune-like worlds came to be. But here's the twist: these elements, crucial to planetary construction, may not be where we expect them.
Hydrogen and helium, along with silicates and iron, are the fundamental ingredients of rocky and gas-rich planets. However, their chemical behaviors have been somewhat of a mystery. Using advanced computational methods, we've delved into the interactions of hydrogen and helium with molten silicate mantles and metallic cores, exploring planets ranging from Earth-like to Neptune-sized.
Our findings? Hydrogen, once thought to be a stable element in planetary atmospheres, becomes surprisingly attracted to the core above ∼25 GPa, but this attraction weakens beyond ∼200 GPa. Helium, on the other hand, maintains its affinity for the mantle but becomes increasingly soluble in metal with increasing pressure.
