Exploring icy satellites

Dr. Anna Pakhomova

In collaboration with: B. Journaux, I. Collings, T. Boffa-Ballaran, S. Petitgirard, S. Vance, and J. M. Brown

Single crystal of ice VI grown in situ inside a DAC. Interior of Jupiter's satellite Ganymede is partially composed of the layer of high-pressure ices (modified from NASA).

Presence of a hydrosphere on a planetary body implies potential habitability. That is the reason why icy satellites featuring a hydrosphere in their interiors attract nowadays much attention of astrobiologists. With our team, using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) in cryostat-cooled DACs, we study crystallization of water and water solutions in the P-T range relevant for hydrospheres on icy satellites.