ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Phase abundance in the low-temperature NaCl-D2O system as a proxy for liquid cooling rates at icy worlds in the outer Solar System

Abstract: We have recently discovered a new metastable crystalline NaCl-D2O phase that forms during rapid freezing at rates relevant to cryovolcanism on icy worlds. Follow-up work has shown that we can produce mixtures of this new metastable phase with hydrohalite, previously the only known NaCl hydrate to form upon freezing at ambient pressure. Our aim is to determine the relative abundance of these two crystalline NaCl hydrates produced in mixtures during rapid freezing. Initial insights suggest that their ratio is dependent on salt concentration. Understanding the relative abundance of these phases could act as a proxy for the physical conditions of cryovolcanic activity, which is of particular importance with two upcoming missions set to investigate cryovolcanic deposits on the surface of icy moons.

Principal Investigator: Dr Rachael Hamp
Experimenter: Dr Mark Fox-Powell
Local Contact: Professor Paul Henry
Experimenter: Professor Christoph Salzmann
Experimenter: Dr Alvaro del Moral
Experimenter: Miss Jessica Hogan

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610536

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2610536

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Rachael Hamp et al; (2026): Phase abundance in the low-temperature NaCl-D2O system as a proxy for liquid cooling rates at icy worlds in the outer Solar System, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610536

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.