Scientists simulate the high pressures and temperatures of planetary interiors to measure their physical properties. Yingwei Fei studies the composition and structure of planetary interiors with high-pressure instrumentation including the multianvil apparatus, the piston cylinder, and the diamond anvil cell.
The Earth was formed through energetic and dynamic processes. Giant impacts, radioactive elements, and gravitational energy heated the planet in its early stage, melting materials and paving the way for the silicate mantle and metallic core to separate. As the planet cooled and solidified geochemical and geophysical “fingerprints” resulted from