Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




TECH SPACE
A Cool Way To Make Glass
by Staff Writers
Tel Aviv, Israel (SPX) Feb 03, 2011


illustration only

Quantum mechanics, developed in the 1920s, has had an enormous impact in explaining how matter works. The elementary particles that make up different forms of matter - such as electrons, protons, neutrons and photons - are well understood within the model quantum physics provides.

Even now, some 90 years later, new scientific principles in quantum physics are being described. The most recent gives the world a glimpse into the seemingly impossible.

Prof. Eran Rabani of Tel Aviv University's School of Chemistry and his colleagues at Columbia University have discovered a new quantum mechanical effect with glass-forming liquids. They've determined that it's possible to melt glass - not by heating it, but by cooling it to a temperature near Absolute Zero.

This new basic science research, to be published in Nature Physics, has limited practical application so far, says Prof. Rabani. But knowing why materials behave as they do paves the way for breakthroughs of the future. "The interesting story here," says Prof. Rabani, "is that by quantum effect, we can melt glass by cooling it. Normally, we melt glasses with heat."

Turning the thermometer upside-down
Classical physics allowed researchers to be certain about the qualities of physical objects. But at the atomic/molecular level, as a result of the duality principle which describes small objects as waves, it's impossible to determine exact molecular position and speed at any given moment - a fact known as the "Heisenberg Principle."

Based on this principle, Prof. Rabani and his colleagues were able to demonstrate their surprising natural phenomenon with glass.

Many different materials on earth, like the silica used in windows, can become a glass - at least in theory - 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.

It all has to do with how molecules in materials are ordered, Prof. Rabani explains. At some point in the cooling phase, a material can become glass and then liquid if the right conditions exist.

"We hope that future laboratory experiments will prove our predictions," he says, looking forward to this new basic science paving the way for continued research.

Classical glass
The research was inspired by Nobel Prize winner Philip W. Anderson, who wrote that the understanding of classical glasses was one of the biggest unsolved problems in condensed matter physics. After the challenge was presented, research teams around the world rose to it.

Until now, structural quantum glasses had never been explored - that is, what happens when you mix the unique properties in glass and add quantum effects. Prof. Rabani was challenged to ask: if we looked at the quantum level, would we still see the hallmarks of a classical glass?

What the researchers unearthed is a new and unique hallmark, showing 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.

.


Related Links
Tel Aviv University
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TECH SPACE
Researchers Discover How To Tame Hammering Droplets
Boston MA (SPX) Jan 25, 2011
A water hammer can occur when a valve is suddenly opened or closed in a pipe carrying water or steam, causing a pressure wave to travel down the pipe with enough force that it can sometimes cause the pipes to burst. Now, new research shows that a similar effect takes places on a tiny scale whenever a droplet of water strikes a surface. MIT's Kripa Varanasi, co-author of a report on the new ... read more


TECH SPACE
NASA's New Lander Prototype Skates Through Integration And Testing

Draper Commits One Million Dollars To Next Giant Leap's Moon Lander

Lunar water may have come from comets - scientists

Moon Has Earth-Like Core

TECH SPACE
Rare Meteorites Reveal Mars Collision Caused Water Flow

Fleet Of INL-Designed Mars Hoppers Could Swiftly Explore Other Worlds

Mars500 Arrives In Orbit Around Mars

Meteorites yield Mars water clues

TECH SPACE
Report warns of wireless radiation risks

Watch Out For Solar Sail Flares

Soyeon's Odyssey

NanoSail-D Flies Free

TECH SPACE
Slow progress in U.S.-China space efforts

China Builds Theme Park In Spaceport

Tiangong Space Station Plans Progessing

China-Made Satellite Keeps Remote Areas In Venezuela Connected

TECH SPACE
Intensive Preparations For ATV Freighter Launch To ISS

Russian Space Freighter Progress M-09M Docks With ISS

Crew Attaches Japanese Resupply Vehicle To ISS

Russian cargo ship sends supplies to space

TECH SPACE
Activities At Esrange Space Center 2011

Russia Plans To Build Carrier Rocket For Mars Missions

First Delta IV Heavy Launches From Vandenberg

Beaming Rockets Into Space

TECH SPACE
Earth-Size Planet Candidates Found In Habitable Zone

Inclined Orbits Prevail

Inclined Orbits Prevail In Exoplanetary Systems

Planet Affects A Star's Spin

TECH SPACE
New York Times net profit dips 26 percent

A Cool Way To Make Glass

Russia Loses New Military Satellite

New laser zeroes in on molecules




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement