Science

Coldest Liquid Water Ever Reaches Bizarre Mathematical Singularity

Water acts familiarly at familiar temperatures. It freezes into ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, which corresponds to 0 degrees Celsius and 272 Kelvin. But “supercooled,” water can remain liquid even at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now, recent back-to-back breakthroughs are revealing the bizarre behavior liquid water adopts at the coldest temperatures ever achieved, Gizmodo reported. A new technique created by an international team of European researchers recently helped break the record for coldest liquid water by measuring a temperature of minus 44.59 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 42.55 degrees Celsius, 230.6 Kelvin for anyone wondering), according to the American Physical Society.

By tracking the diameters of microscopic water droplets in an evacuated chamber (meaning, vacuum-sealed with nothing inside, not even air) and illuminating them with lasers, the scientists were able to record measurements of unprecedented precision.

llustration showing fluctuations between regions of two different local structures (high density as red and low density liquid as blue) of water that depend on the temperature.

A paper describing the research was published in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.

Meanwhile, a new technique has allowed a separate team led by physicists at Stockholm University to map the […]

Summary
Article Name
Coldest Liquid Water Ever Reaches Bizarre Mathematical Singularity
Description
Recent back-to-back breakthroughs are revealing the bizarre behavior liquid water adopts at the coldest temperatures ever achieved. A new technique created by an international team of European researchers recently helped break the record for coldest liquid water.
Author
Publisher Name
Newsweek
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

Sacramento has a new plan to grow the city’s tree canopy and wants your feedback

Trees line 68th Avenue in the Meadowview neighborhood of Sacramento on Thursday, April 26, 2024.…

2 days ago

40 million people share the shrinking Colorado River.

Here’s how that water gets divvied up. The Colorado River passes through Mesa County, March…

3 days ago

Trout Unlimited Wins Award for California Partnership Uniting Landowners to Save Coho Salmon

Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited, speaks to staff from Trout Unlimited, NOAA…

4 days ago

Advocates work to safeguard critical lake, extend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act

Photo Credit: iStock The lake supports nearly 300 species of birds, mammals, and fish, as…

5 days ago

Well Data Explorer: Visualizing Contaminated Groundwater in 3D

Map: A 3D view with basemap transparency adjusted to show underground wells, with filtering by…

1 week ago

California’s Plans for Slowing Climate Change Through Nature-Based Solutions

As part of SF Climate Week, KQED’s Danielle Venton sat down with the California Secretary…

1 week ago