Undergraduate Research Project with Dr. Charbonneau

Glass formation is both an old and difficult problem. How can avoiding crystallization lead to solid materials with such a complex (and slow!) dynamics? Many brilliant minds have poured over the issue in the last decades, yet important fundamental questions remain to be settled. In collaboration with a Japanese research group the Charbonneau group has developed a novel way to to look at the problem. Though it may sound a little esoteric, changing the system's dimensionality gives unexpected insights into glass formation. Not only does it make crystallization more difficult, which makes even simple fluids good glass formers, but it also sheds new light on the microscopic description of our 3D world. This research project would be particularly well suited for an undergraduate student who has completed physical chemistry and has an interest in theory and simulations. Please contact Prof. Charbonneau for further information.
patrick.charbonneau@duke.edu