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Updated: Aug 21, 2025
10:28
Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
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Energy Transfer and Restructuring in Amorphous Solid Water upon Consecutive Irradiation
Herma M Cuppen1,2, Jennifer A Noble3,4, Stephane Coussan3
1Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 AJ, The Netherlands.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. A
|November 16, 2022
Summary
Interstellar amorphous solid water (ASW) structural changes were studied using infrared free-electron laser (FEL) radiation. FEL irradiation alters ASW
Area of Science:
- Astrochemistry
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Amorphous solid water (ASW) is a key component of interstellar and cometary ices, crucial for planetary system formation.
- Understanding vibrational energy dissipation and structural changes in ASW is vital but remains challenging.
- The hydrogen-bonding network in ASW is hypothesized to play a critical role in energy transfer and structural dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hydrogen-bonding modifications in amorphous solid water (ASW) induced by intense mid-infrared free-electron laser (FEL) radiation.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of vibrational energy transfer and dissipation within the ASW hydrogen-bonding network.
- To correlate structural changes with irradiation history and molecular dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Experimental irradiation of ASW using the FELIX-2 beamline's mid-IR FEL.
- Monitoring structural changes via reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy.
- Confirmation and mechanistic insights through molecular dynamics simulations.
Main Results:
- FEL irradiation induces local structural changes in ASW due to vibrational energy transfer.
- Vibrationally excited water molecules can reorient to optimize tetrahedral coordination without breaking hydrogen bonds.
- Vibrational energy transfer occurs through the hydrogen-bonding network to molecules with similar vibrational frequencies.
- Energy dissipation is expected to be lower in amorphous compared to crystalline water due to frequency inhomogeneity and defect sites.
Conclusions:
- The hydrogen-bonding network in ASW facilitates vibrational energy transfer and influences structural dynamics under FEL irradiation.
- Inhomogeneity and defect sites in ASW's hydrogen-bonding network can impede energy dissipation compared to crystalline ice.
- These findings enhance our understanding of ice evolution in astrophysical environments and material properties.
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