SEMINAR: A peek into Earth’s deepest secrets through a diamond window

Understanding the inner workings of our planet requires knowledge of material properties under extreme conditions. In the past two decades, synchrotronradiation and high-pressure instrumentations have opened a new window to the Earth's interior. Presented here are experimental results revealing pressure- and temperature-induced magnetic transitions in iron carbides and associated effects on their densities and sound velocities. The new data suggest that the inner core is potentially the largest reservoir of carbon in Earth and may play an unexpected role in the global carbon cycle.