Scientists reveal the secret life of water at very low temperatures
By ANIThursday, June 17, 2010
WASHINGTON - A team of chemists have revealed the coexistence of ice and liquid after water crystallizes at very low temperatures.
University of Utah chemists demonstrated curious blurring of two water phases - liquid and ice at a temperature of 180 K, an extremely cold temperature typical of the upper atmosphere called the “no-man’s land” of water.
“This blurring is what’s interesting. Our findings show that what goes on there is important to the behavior of water and to the formation of clouds,” says Valeria Molinero, who led the research.
The work might be important for understanding cloud formations that regulate global radiation and hence climate change. While this is a boon for understanding super-cooled water and its role in cloud formation, it’s a breakthrough for those dreaming of a No Man’s Land Physics Fun Park.
The study appears in the June 21 issue of the Journal of Chemical Physics, which is published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). (ANI)
