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Helium-Iron Compounds at Terapascal Pressures.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Monserrat, Bartomeu 
Martinez-Canales, Miguel 
Needs, Richard J 
Pickard, Chris J 

Abstract

We investigate the binary phase diagram of helium and iron using first-principles calculations. We find that helium, which is a noble gas and inert at ambient conditions, forms stable crystalline compounds with iron at terapascal pressures. A FeHe compound becomes stable above 4 TPa, and a FeHe_{2} compound above 12 TPa. Melting is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations, and a superionic phase with sublattice melting of the helium atoms is predicted. We discuss the implications of our predicted helium-iron phase diagram for interiors of giant (exo)planets and white dwarf stars.

Description

Keywords

cond-mat.mtrl-sci, cond-mat.mtrl-sci, astro-ph.EP

Journal Title

Phys Rev Lett

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0031-9007
1079-7114

Volume Title

121

Publisher

American Physical Society (APS)
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P034616/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/F032773/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P022596/1)