Diamond's Secret: It Floats in Liquid Carbon

Researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have conducted a series of dynamic compression experiments confirming that diamond becomes less dense than liquid carbon upon melting under extreme pressure. This physical property means that under ultra-high pressure conditions, diamond will float in liquid carbon, similar to how ice floats in water. The study resolves a long-standing discrepancy between theoretical models and experimental data. By aligning experimental values with quantum mechanical simulations, the findings refine models of the internal structures of ice giant planets and offer potential optimizations for inertial confinement fusion. Dmitry Lapshin, physicist: "The behavior of diamond during melting resembles the behavior of ice in a glass of water: because the liquid is denser than the solid substance, diamond will float in liquid carbon."