TRansport in the InterioR of the Earth from Modelling and Experiments

Project Information

TRIREME

Grant agreement ID: 101002868

DOI

10.3030/101002868

EC signature date 17 December 2020

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2027

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 999 928,75

EU contribution

€ 1 999 928,75

Coordinated by

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TRIREME (TRansport in the InterioR of the Earth from Modelling and Experiments)

Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Project TRIREME is exploring minerals and liquids at high pressure and high temperature conditions found in planetary interiors, including in the Earth. We are examining how these materials transport energy and hence control planetary cooling, interior dynamics, and related properties such as magnetic field production. In particular, we determine materials properties such as viscosity and thermal conductivity, data which directly influence our understanding of planetary dynamics. In the Earth, our data constrain the age and growth behaviour of the inner core, the thermal history of the mantle, and the longevity of Earth’s life- and civilization-sustaining magnetic field. These phenomena are crucial for understanding Earth’s past, present, and future, such as the resilience of our planet and civilisation to solar storms, a strong example of which has recently occurred in May 2024 (see photo). Our objectives are to make observations in the world’s leading experimental laboratories and combine this with cutting edge computer models in order to extract crucial information about how Earth’s interior behaves.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In TRIREME we have developed and applied new laboratory configurations and methodologies to explore transport at extremes at several facilities, including local laboratories at University of Edinburgh and Central Facilities, in particular, the European XFEL and the PETRA III Synchrotron in Germany. At Edinburgh we developed a novel multi-laser laboratory with time resolved detectors, multiple laser heating and probing solutions, and combined these with state of the art imaging. At European XFEL, we have benchmarked a wide range of new laboratory methods with community wide teams, including leading new measurements of thermal conductivity of materials at high pressures (Exp #3160). Representative results from European XFEL studies can be found in Frost et al., Nature Astronomy, 2024 and associated press releases. At PETRA III, we have received two consecutive Long Term Proposals, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to develop new X-ray imaging solutions for high pressure experiments with the goal of studying melting, fluid motion, and viscosity of high pressure liquids. For these studies we also developed a range of software solutions to support experiments and interpret datasets.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our work at central facilities is currently world leading, representing the only experimental platforms currently available for transport measurements of the kind we have developed.

Observing the aurora during May 2024 storm at Craiglockhart hill, Edinburgh, Scotland.