Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Phase Diagram of Hydrogen and a Hydrogen-Helium Mixture at Planetary Conditions by Quantum Monte Carlo Simulations
Guglielmo Mazzola1, Ravit Helled2, Sandro Sorella3
1Theoretische Physik, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Understanding planetary interiors is directly linked to our ability of simulating exotic quantum mechanical systems such as hydrogen (H) and hydrogen-helium (H-He) mixtures at high pressures and temperatures. Equation of state (EOS) tables based on density functional theory are commonly used by planetary scientists, although this method allows only for a qualitative description of the phase diagram. Here we report quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) molecular dynamics simulations of pure H and H-He mixture. We calculate the first QMC EOS at 6000 K for a H-He mixture of a protosolar composition, and show the crucial influence of He on the H metallization pressure. Our results can be used to calibrate other EOS calculations and are very timely given the accurate determination of Jupiter's gravitational field from the NASA Juno mission and the effort to determine its structure.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
Hydrogen Bonds
Phase Diagrams
Phase Diagram
Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...
Reduction of Benzene to Cyclohexane: Catalytic Hydrogenation

