Abstract
Using neutron scattering and ab initio simulations, we document the discovery of a new “quantum tunneling state” of the water molecule confined in 5 Å channels in the mineral beryl, characterized by extended proton and electron delocalization. We observed a number of peaks in the inelastic neutron scattering spectra that were uniquely assigned to water quantum tunneling. In addition, the water proton momentum distribution was measured with deep inelastic neutron scattering, which directly revealed coherent delocalization of the protons in the ground state.
- Received 18 November 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.167802
© 2016 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Focus
Water Molecule Spreads Out When Caged
Published 22 April 2016
Water molecules confined in nanochannels exhibit tunneling behavior that smears out the positions of the hydrogen atoms into a pair of corrugated rings.
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