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But the experiment also provided valuable information for planetary scientists interested in creating computer models of gas giants in our solar system, said Ronald Redmer, a planetary physicist and professor at the University of Rostock in Germany.
"The extreme states of matter in these experiments are really relevant to planetary science," Redmer said. "This new data is very important for our models and to make them more accurate."
One of the more interesting things that came to light during the experiment was the way in which the diamonds, when they are compressed into liquid carbon, behave.
"Under normal conditions, diamonds are insulators," Redmer said. "But in these accelerated conditions they turn into conductors."
When diamond turns to liquid carbon and goes from a poor electrical conductor into a good one, it could in turn influence the function of a gas giant's magnetic field, Redmer said.
And while we know a fair amount about Earth's magnetic field, there is far less data about the workings of magnetic fields on other planets, particularly gas giants, he said.
Jupiter's magnetic field, for instance, is about 10 times stronger than Earth's and it's much, much more complex.
Understanding how that field works is important for space exploration efforts and could also provide us with more information about how our own magnetic field works, Redmer said.
"Discoveries like that on other planets often have a backflow of understanding of Earth," he said.
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