News Physics

Water has a newfound ‘critical point’ that may help explain its quirks

Supercooled water exists in two liquid forms that become indistinguishable under the right conditions

An illustration shows a laser beam hitting a glass, causing it to explode. the glass contains closely packed water molecules on the bottom and more sparsely packed molecules on the top

Supercooled water can exist in a denser liquid with more closely packed molecules (bottom in this illustration) or a less dense liquid. By probing supercooled water with lasers, scientists found the critical point — the temperature and pressure at which those two phases become one.

POSTECH University, South Korea

By Emily Conover

A hidden feature of water, long submerged, has finally been brought to the surface.