Molecular concert on water

Highlight

Water has a completely different surface structure than was assumed until now. AMOLF-group leader Mischa Bonn has shown this together with researchers from  University Utrecht and University Amsterdam by 'listening' to the frequencies of vibrating molecules on that surface, using a special laser technique. Despite the fact that more than half of the earth's surface is covered by water, the molecular structure of the water's surface has remained elusive. The researchers demonstrate that the water surface is simpler and more homogeneous than previously thought.  Understanding the surface of water is not only fundamentally important, but also imperative for research fields such as biophysics of membranes, electro-chemistry and atmospheric chemistry. The researchers published their results in the April 28 issue of the online edition of Physical Review Letters. (Mei 2008)

FOM-press release (in Dutch)

Physical Review Letters 100 (2008) 173901 1-4