Giant 'microscope' will use neutrons to study glass transition mystery in solid-state research
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 01:28
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists are building an electrostatic levitation chamber that will be installed at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oakridge National Laboratory. Using neutrons as a probe, the instrument will allow scientists to watch atoms in a suspended drop of liquid as the drop cools and solidifies. Researchers are particularly eager to see what the new instrument will tell them about the "glass transition," the smooth change a glass undergoes from a freely flowing liquid to a viscous liquid to a rigid structure. The physics underlying the transition has been called "the deepest and most interesting unsolved problem in solid-state research."