Supercooled Water: Dynamics, Structure and Thermodynamics

Abstract

The anomalous properties of water in the supercooled state are numerous and well-known. Particularly striking are the strong changes in dynamic properties that appear to display divergences at temperatures close to -- but beyond -- the lowest temperatures attainable either experimentally or in computer simulations. Recent work on slow or glassy dynamics in water suggests analogies with simple liquids not previously appreciated, and at the same time highlights some aspects that remain peculiar to water. A comparison of the behavior of water with normal liquids, with respect to its dynamic, thermodynamic and structural changes in the supercooled regime is made by analyzing, via computer simulations, the properties of local potential energy minima sampled by water in supercooled temperatures and pressures.