Unruly plasmas
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 - 12:20
in Physics & Chemistry
Physicists performed a series of exact computer simulations of a liquid layer of charged particles (Plasma) and cooled it rapidly. According to the text book theorem the fluid would crystallize instantaneously when it is cooled, no matter whether a magnetic field is present or not. "We cooled the liquid very quickly, and in the presence of a strong magnetic field we observed a result that we first could not believe: the system remained fluid for a very long time," one of the researchers said.