Suppression of X-ray-induced dissociation of H(2)O molecules in dense ice under pressure

We investigated molecular dissociation induced by 10-keV X-ray irradiation in dense ice at pressures up to 40 GPa at 300 K. The dissociation yield estimated from the oxygen K-edge X-ray Raman spectra, showed that the molecular dissociation was enhanced up to 14 GPa and gradually suppressed on further compression to 40 GPa. The molecular dissociation was detected for a rather narrow pressure span of 2–40 GPa by the X-ray spectroscopy. The pressure variation of the dissociation yield was similar to that observed in the electric conductivity of ice VII and likely interpreted in terms of proton mobility.