It is common knowledge that diamonds are one of the hardest materials found on the planet Earth – so strong, in fact, they can easily cut through glass and steel. But what happens to diamonds when they are exposed to extreme conditions? Well, apparently, when the going gets tough – diamonds get tougher.

A recent study by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists found that diamonds become even harder when exposed to rapid compression.

Using the Janus and Omega lasers to send shockwaves through a diamond, the team found that the gem was able to sustain almost a million times the atmospheric pressure before being crushed.

The research bears significant implications for the use of diamonds in various technologies, and researchers claim it could affect fusion-energy experiments.
 

In nature, diamonds are formed at a high-pressure, high-temperature environment, which exists at depths of 87-120 miles in the Earth's mantle.

But even a diamond has its limits: when the researchers sent laser shockwaves  between one million and 10 million atmospheres of pressure through the stone, the diamond was crushed in a nanosecond –  one billionth of a second.

This was the second study to explore the behavior of diamonds under extreme conditions: researchers have recently tested diamonds' reaction to extreme temperatures, concluding they mimic the behavior of water – i.e. freeze – in conditions which can be found in outer space.

The experiment led to the conclusion that solid diamond icebergs may be floating on the oceans of Neptune and Uranus. The revelation, according to the study,may help explain the nature of Uranus and Neptune's magnetic fields, which – unlike their earthly counterparts – do not match up with the their geographic poles.

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