Professor Masayoshi Inui of Hiroshima University, Professor Shinya Hosokawa of Kumamoto University and others analyzed the vibration of atoms in liquid bismuth, and found that some of the structure when solid remains even though it is in a liquid state. I proved it.
Atoms and molecules in a solid have a fixed structure that does not move around freely by forming bonds with adjacent atoms and molecules.Normally, when a solid melts into a liquid, this bond breaks.However, it was known that the metal bismuth does not completely disintegrate even when it melts, and it makes a collective motion while leaving some bonds.Furthermore, in the 21st century, the details of these bismuth collective movements were predicted by using computer simulations.
The purpose of this study is to observe the collective motion of liquid bismuth predicted from the simulation from the experiment.For that purpose, it was necessary to irradiate a thin film of liquid bismuth with strong X-rays and analyze the scattered X-rays.A huge X-ray generator called Spring-8 in Hyogo Prefecture was used for this experiment.In addition, the technology to hold the liquid bismuth of the group in the form of a thin film was also indispensable for measurement.As a result, we have succeeded in observing the collective motion predicted from the simulation by experiments.
The results this time show that it is a liquid that was thought to be just moving around with atoms and molecules separated, leaving a small amount of bonds when it was a solid.It can be said that this is a state that retains the memory of a certain solid.This means that experiments have shown that the nanostructures of solid metals can be designed by controlling the forces acting between the atoms of the molten metal.It is expected that this result will have a great impact on the creation of new substances and nanotechnology.
