Post by ESRF - The European Synchrotron

How does a #liquid turn into #glass without really changing the arrangement of its atoms? It is one of the most fascinating questions in the physics of matter. This paradox is clarified by an international study conducted at the ESRF by researchers from the ULB, Università degli Studi di Padova, Università di Pisa and the ESRF. The work, published in Nature Portfolio Physics offers a new reading of the molecular dynamics of supercooled liquids in the transition to the glassy state. The publication shows that the "dance of molecules" is not made up of isolated movements, but rather arises from a single, coherent mechanism. "After almost ten years of research in our laboratories and at ID18 at ESRF, we have finally understood the microscopic origin of some very important properties of glass," concludes Simone Capaccioli, of the Department of Physics of the University of Pisa. These results will be able to contribute to designing glass with properties that are increasingly responsive to society's demands. https://lnkd.in/edMiVpbS Federico Caporaletti Dimitrios Bessas Francesco Dallari