Burkhard Militzer, a planetary scientist from the University of California, Berkeley, has published groundbreaking research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealing a complex internal structure of Uranus.

His findings suggest that beneath Uranus's thick atmosphere lies an 8,000-kilometer-thick water-rich layer, followed by a carbon-rich layer, and a rocky core comparable in size to Mercury.

Militzer's research indicates that beneath the cloud layers of Uranus exists a deep ocean of water, succeeded by a compressed fluid rich in carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen.

While previous theories proposed non-mixing layers within Uranus and Neptune, they failed to explain their composition until Militzer's simulations provided clarity.

His model challenges prevailing theories like 'diamond rain' and 'superionic' water, arguing instead that the separation of layers is sufficient to explain the unique magnetic fields of these planets.

The absence of a dipole magnetic field in Uranus and Neptune, as discovered by the Voyager 2 mission, supports the idea of immiscible layers and suggests a lack of large-scale convection in their interiors.

Militzer's computer simulations demonstrate that under extreme temperatures and pressures, substances like water, methane, and ammonia separate into two immiscible layers, akin to oil and water.

He aims to conduct laboratory experiments to validate his findings and hopes that a proposed NASA mission to Uranus could confirm the existence of these layers through planetary vibrations.

Using advanced machine learning techniques, Militzer simulated a larger atomic system, discovering that a water-rich layer forms above a carbon-rich layer under high pressure and temperature.

Militzer asserts that hydrogen is expelled from methane and ammonia, leading to the formation of these distinct layers, which may contribute to the chaotic magnetic fields observed.

Neptune, while more massive, has a smaller diameter and thinner atmosphere, yet is predicted to have a similar internal structure to Uranus, with a rocky core about the size of Mars.

The research also suggests the intriguing possibility of diamond rain occurring on both Uranus and Neptune, adding to the complexity of their interiors.