Metallic helium in massive planets

Abstract

In this issue of PNAS, Stixrude and Jeanloz (4) show that band closure in pure helium occurs at lower pressures than previously thought, provided the effect of high temperatures is taken into account. This suggests that helium behaves as a metal, at least at the highest pressures encountered in Jupiter and perhaps over a wider range of pressures in the many, often much hotter, planets of Jupiter's mass and larger that are now evidently common in the universe (5). The full thermodynamic and transport properties of the relevant mixtures cannot be deduced from the behavior of the end members (pure hydrogen and pure helium) and are therefore an area of ongoing research.

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