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Updated: May 20, 2026

Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
Quantum rotation of ortho and para-water encapsulated in a fullerene cage
Carlo Beduz1, Marina Carravetta, Judy Y-C Chen
1School of Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Inelastic neutron scattering, far-infrared spectroscopy, and cryogenic nuclear magnetic resonance are used to investigate the quantized rotation and ortho-para conversion of single water molecules trapped inside closed fullerene cages. The existence of metastable ortho-water molecules is demonstrated, and the interconversion of ortho-and para-water spin isomers is tracked in real time. Our investigation reveals that the ground state of encapsulated ortho water has a lifted degeneracy, associated with symmetry-breaking of the water environment.
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