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Electrically induced liquid-liquid phase transition in water at room temperature
Adam D Wexler1, Elmar C Fuchs, Jakob Woisetschläger
1Arie Zwijnenburg Laboratory for Advanced Microscopy and Optical Metrology, Wetsus - European Center of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. adwexler@u.washington.edu.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|August 10, 2019
Summary
Electric fields induce a phase transition in liquid water, causing collective oscillations and phonon-like excitations. This emergent behavior demonstrates self-similarity, persisting against thermal disruption.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Previous work reported a phase transition in hydrogen-bonded liquids with long-range dipole-dipole interactions.
- Liquid water under electric fields exhibits symmetry breakdown and collective oscillations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phase transition in liquid water under electric fields.
- To characterize the emergent phase using Raman spectroscopy.
- To explore the self-similarity and collective behavior of the system.
Main Methods:
- Raman spectroscopy to identify excitations.
- Application of electric fields to liquid water.
- Analysis of scattered Raman intensity and electric field strength.
Main Results:
- Observation of a phase transition throughout the entire volume of liquid water.
- Identification of transverse optically active phonon-like sidebands as the primary excitation.
- Discovery of a self-similarity relation between Raman intensity and electric field strength.
Conclusions:
- The electric field induces a macroscopic quantum phase transition in liquid water.
- Collective behavior in liquid water persists against thermal disruption.
- Findings are discussed within a quantum field theory framework for macroscopic quantum systems.
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