Champagne bubbles may help address world’s energy needs
20 Dec 2014 12:23 AM GMT
"Uncork a bottle of champagne, and as the pressure of the liquid is abruptly removed, bubbles immediately form and then rapidly begin the process of "coarsening," in which larger bubbles grow at the expense of smaller ones," researchers said. This fundamental nonequilibrium phenomenon is known as "Ostwald ripening," and though it is most familiar for its role in bubbly beverages, it is also seen in a wide range of scientific systems including spin systems, foams and metallic alloys.
Researchers from the University of Tokyo, Kyusyu University and RIKEN in Japan were able to simulate bubble nucleation from the molecular level by harnessing the K computer at RIKEN, the most powerful system in Japan. At the heart of their work were molecular dynamics simulations.
The basic concept behind these simulations is to put some virtual molecules in a box, assign them initial velocities and study how they continue moving - by using Newton's law of motion to determine their position over time.
Researchers from the University of Tokyo, Kyusyu University and RIKEN in Japan were able to simulate bubble nucleation from the molecular level by harnessing the K computer at RIKEN, the most powerful system in Japan. At the heart of their work were molecular dynamics simulations.
The basic concept behind these simulations is to put some virtual molecules in a box, assign them initial velocities and study how they continue moving - by using Newton's law of motion to determine their position over time.
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