David Rice, Zachary Grande, Ashkan Salamat, Jason Steffen (all Physics and Astronomy), and Oliver Tschauner (Geoscience), along with former UNLV postdoc Chenliang Huang (Physics and Astronomy) published in the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society." This study used new measurements of the properties of water under high-pressure conditions, measured in the Salamat lab, to examine their ramifications on our interpretation of the interior structure and compositions of planets observed orbiting other stars. Key conclusions from their study are that many planets likely have less water and less atmosphere than previous measurements may imply. They also demonstrate the compelling need for improved measurements of the properties of planet-forming materials as the precision of astronomical observations continue to improve. Rice and Grande are graduate students. Salamat, Steffen, and Tschauner are their advisors.
