Equation of State Parameters of hcp-Fe Up to Super-Earth Interior Conditions

Equation of state (EoS) parameters of hexagonal close-packed iron (hcp-Fe), the dominant core component in large terrestrial planets, is crucial for studying interior structures of super-Earths. However, EoS parameters at interior conditions of super-Earths remain poorly constrained, and extrapolating from Earth’s core conditions introduces significant uncertainties at TPa pressures. Here, we compiled experimental static and dynamic compression data and theoretical data up to 1374 GPa and 12,000 K from the literature to refine the EoS of hcp-Fe. Using the third-order Birch–Murnaghan and Mie–Grüneisen–Debye equations, we obtained V0 (unit-cell volume) = 6.756 (10) cm3/mol, KT0 (isothermal bulk modulus) = 174.7 (17) GPa, KT0′ (pressure derivative of KT0) = 4.790 (14), θ0 (Debye temperature) = 1209 (73) K, γ0 (Grüneisen parameters) = 2.86 (10), and q (volume-independent constant) = 0.84 (5) at ambient conditions. These parameters were then incorporated into an interior model of CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b, which includes four solid compositional layers (forsterite, MgSiO3 perovskite, post-perovskite, and hcp-Fe). The model yields the core mass fractions (CMF) of 0.1709 in CoRoT-7b and 0.2216 in Kepler-10b, suggesting a Mars-like interior structure. Extrapolation uncertainties (±10–20% in density) can change CMF by −12.6 to 21.2%, highlighting the necessity of precise EoS constraints at the super-Earth interior conditions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Crystals
Published
2025-02-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15030221
Primary Topic
High-pressure geophysics and materials
Type
article
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article

Equation of State Parameters of hcp-Fe Up to Super-Earth Interior Conditions

Shi-Chang Zhang, Yanyao Zhang, Dongyang Kuang, Chao Xiong
Crystals
High-pressure geophysics and materials
article

Equation of State Parameters of hcp-Fe Up to Super-Earth Interior Conditions

Shi-Chang Zhang, Yanyao Zhang, Dongyang Kuang, Chao Xiong
article en

Abstract

Equation of state (EoS) parameters of hexagonal close-packed iron (hcp-Fe), the dominant core component in large terrestrial planets, is crucial for studying interior structures of super-Earths. However, EoS parameters at interior conditions of super-Earths remain poorly constrained, and extrapolating from Earth’s core conditions introduces significant uncertainties at TPa pressures. Here, we compiled experimental static and dynamic compression data and theoretical data up to 1374 GPa and 12,000 K from the literature to refine the EoS of hcp-Fe. Using the third-order Birch–Murnaghan and Mie–Grüneisen–Debye equations, we obtained V0 (unit-cell volume) = 6.756 (10) cm3/mol, KT0 (isothermal bulk modulus) = 174.7 (17) GPa, KT0′ (pressure derivative of KT0) = 4.790 (14), θ0 (Debye temperature) = 1209 (73) K, γ0 (Grüneisen parameters) = 2.86 (10), and q (volume-independent constant) = 0.84 (5) at ambient conditions. These parameters were then incorporated into an interior model of CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b, which includes four solid compositional layers (forsterite, MgSiO3 perovskite, post-perovskite, and hcp-Fe). The model yields the core mass fractions (CMF) of 0.1709 in CoRoT-7b and 0.2216 in Kepler-10b, suggesting a Mars-like interior structure. Extrapolation uncertainties (±10–20% in density) can change CMF by −12.6 to 21.2%, highlighting the necessity of precise EoS constraints at the super-Earth interior conditions.

CrystalsVol. 15(3)
Planetary Science Institute (US), Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Hunan University of Technology (CN), Stanford University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 97%
High-pressure geophysics and materials
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Equation of State Parameters of hcp-Fe Up to Super-Earth Interior Conditions — Shi-Chang Zhang, Yanyao Zhang, et al. · Crystals (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS