Articles | Volume 23, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10625-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10625-2023
Research article
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26 Sep 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 26 Sep 2023

Molecular simulations reveal that heterogeneous ice nucleation occurs at higher temperatures in water under capillary tension

Elise Rosky, Will Cantrell, Tianshu Li, Issei Nakamura, and Raymond A. Shaw

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Cited articles

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Allen, M. P. and Tildesley, D. J.: Computer Simulation of Liquids, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198803206, 2017. a
Baker, M. and Baker, M.: A new look at homogeneous freezing of water, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L19102, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020483, 2004.​​​​​​​ a
Bi, Y., Cabriolu, R., and Li, T.: Heterogeneous ice nucleation controlled by the coupling of surface crystallinity and surface hydrophilicity, J. Phys. Chem. C, 120, 1507–1514, 2016. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Bianco, V., de Hijes, P. M., Lamas, C. P., Sanz, E., and Vega, C.: Anomalous behavior in the nucleation of ice at negative pressures, Phys. Rev. Lett., 126, 015704, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.015704, 2021. a, b, c, d
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Editorial statement
I agree with the handling editor that this paper shows an important aspect of heterogeneous ice nucleation in water under capillary tension. The results can be of general interest to a broad geoscience community.
Short summary
Using computer simulations of water, we find that water under tension freezes more easily than under normal conditions. A linear equation describes how freezing temperature increases with tension. Accordingly, simulations show that naturally occurring tension in water capillary bridges leads to higher freezing temperatures. This work is an early step in determining if atmospheric cloud droplets freeze due to naturally occurring tension, for example, during processes such as droplet collisions.
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