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A model of iron atoms on the move in Earth’s inner core. The model demonstrates how iron atoms are expected to move about in the Earth’s inner core over 10 picoseconds. One picosecond is one trillionth of a second. Credit: Zhang et al.The results, which were informed by laboratory experiments and theoretical models, indicate that atoms in the inner core move around much more than previously thought.
Scientists think that iron atoms in the inner core are arranged in a repeating hexagonal configuration. According to Lin, most computer models portraying the lattice dynamics of iron in the inner core show only a small number of atoms — usually fewer than a hundred. But using an AI algorithm, the researchers were able to significantly beef up the atomic environment, creating a “supercell” of about 30,000 atoms to more reliably predict iron’s properties.