Scientists melt glass not by heating it but cooling it!
By ANIThursday, February 3, 2011
LONDON - Scientists at Tel Aviv University have found a unique way of melting glass - they don’t heat it but cool it to Absolute Zero temperature.
“The interesting story here is that by quantum effect, we can melt glass by cooling it. Normally, we melt glasses with heat,” said Prof. Eran Rabani.
Rabani explains that it all depends on how molecules in materials are ordered. At some point in the cooling phase, a material can become glass and then liquid if the right conditions exist.
Theoretically, many different materials on earth, like the silica used in windows, can become a glass if they are cooled fast enough.
But the new research by Prof. Rabani and his colleagues demonstrates that under very special conditions, a few degrees above Absolute Zero (-459.67 degrees Fahrenheit), a glass might melt.
The team found that quantum glasses have a unique signature. Many materials he says can form a glass if they’re cooled fast enough. Even though their theory is not practical for daily use: few individuals own freezers that dip down nearly 500 degrees below zero.
The study is to be published in Nature Physics. (ANI)
