Icy or rocky? Convective or stable?

We present a new framework for constructing agnostic and yet physical models for planetary interiors and apply it to Uranus and Neptune. Unlike previous research that either impose rigid assumptions or rely on simplified empirical profiles, our approach bridges both paradigms. Starting from randomly generated density profiles, we applied an iterative algorithm that converges towards models that simultaneously satisfy hydrostatic equilibrium, match the observed gravitational moments, and remain thermodynamically and compositionally consistent. The inferred interior models for Uranus and Neptune span a wide range of possible interior structures, in particular encompassing both water-dominated and rock-dominated configurations (rock-to-water mass ratios between 0.04–3.92 for Uranus and 0.20–1.78 for Neptune). All models contain convective regions with ionic water and have temperature–pressure profiles that remain above the demixing curves for hydrogen–helium–water mixtures. This offers both a plausible explanation for the observed non-dipolar magnetic fields and indicates that no hydrogen–helium–water demixing occurs. We find a higher H-He mass fraction in the outer-most convection zones for Uranus (0.62–0.73) compared to Neptune (0.25–0.49) and that Uranus’ magnetic field is likely generated deeper in the interior compared to Neptune. We infer upper limits of 0.69–0.74 (Uranus) versus 0.78–0.92 (Neptune) for the outer edges of the dynamo regions in units of normalised radii. Overall, our findings challenge the conventional classification of Uranus and Neptune as ’ice giants’ and underscore the need for improved observational data or formation constraints to break compositional degeneracy.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Universität Zürich, ZORA
Published
2025-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-292227
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Icy or rocky? Convective or stable?

Ravit Helled, Luca Morf
Universität Zürich, ZORA
Astro and Planetary Science
article

Icy or rocky? Convective or stable?

Ravit Helled, Luca Morf
article en

Abstract

We present a new framework for constructing agnostic and yet physical models for planetary interiors and apply it to Uranus and Neptune. Unlike previous research that either impose rigid assumptions or rely on simplified empirical profiles, our approach bridges both paradigms. Starting from randomly generated density profiles, we applied an iterative algorithm that converges towards models that simultaneously satisfy hydrostatic equilibrium, match the observed gravitational moments, and remain thermodynamically and compositionally consistent. The inferred interior models for Uranus and Neptune span a wide range of possible interior structures, in particular encompassing both water-dominated and rock-dominated configurations (rock-to-water mass ratios between 0.04–3.92 for Uranus and 0.20–1.78 for Neptune). All models contain convective regions with ionic water and have temperature–pressure profiles that remain above the demixing curves for hydrogen–helium–water mixtures. This offers both a plausible explanation for the observed non-dipolar magnetic fields and indicates that no hydrogen–helium–water demixing occurs. We find a higher H-He mass fraction in the outer-most convection zones for Uranus (0.62–0.73) compared to Neptune (0.25–0.49) and that Uranus’ magnetic field is likely generated deeper in the interior compared to Neptune. We infer upper limits of 0.69–0.74 (Uranus) versus 0.78–0.92 (Neptune) for the outer edges of the dynamo regions in units of normalised radii. Overall, our findings challenge the conventional classification of Uranus and Neptune as ’ice giants’ and underscore the need for improved observational data or formation constraints to break compositional degeneracy.

Universität Zürich, ZORA
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
Astro and Planetary Science
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.