X-rays Unravels Mysteries of Earth’s Core

The window of opportunity for implementing radical changes to combat global warming may be as narrow as five years, warns a new report by the International Energy Agency. (Photo: NASA/Reuters)

The Earth's core, which is some 3,000km (1,900 miles) below sea level, will never be reached by scientists but a new experiment will attempt to unravel the mysterious processes at the center of the planet.

The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility's ID24 beam line will use X-ray beams to subject iron and other materials to extraordinary temperatures and pressures to recreate the extreme conditions at the center of the Earth as it investigate on the origin of the Earth's magnetic field, and how shock waves from earthquakes propagate through it.

The ID24 will utilize what is known as a diamond anvil cell - an established and remarkably simple means to create high pressures by confining tiny samples between the points of two carefully cut diamonds.

These samples are then compressed at a pressure millions of times higher than that on the Earth's surface after which high-power lasers are fired through the diamonds to heat them to higher than 10,000C.

The newly upgraded ID24 makes it possible to focus the X-rays to a much smaller spot than existing facilities to determine the precise composition and chemistry of the samples.

The X-rays are also able to monitor the reactions that happen as matter is heated and squeezed with a resolution several hundreds higher, and "snapshots" taken every millionth of a second.

The microsecond time resolution makes the ID24 unique, according to Sakura Pascarelli, chief scientist on the ID24 beam line.

Located in Grenoble, France, the ID24 is the first of eight beam lines at the ESRF that will be radically overhauled as part of the eight year 180 million euro project.