Melting Domain Size and Recrystallization Dynamics of Ice Revealed by Time-Resolved X-ray Scattering

The phase transition between water and ice is ubiquitous and one of the most important phenomena in nature. Here, we performed time-resolved x-ray scattering experiments capturing the melting and recrystallization dynamics of ice. The ultrafast heating of ice I is induced by an IR laser pulse and probed with an intense x-ray pulse, which provided us with direct structural information on different length scales. From the wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) patterns, the molten fraction, as well as the corresponding temperature at each delay, were determined. The small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns, together with the information extracted from the WAXS analysis, provided the time-dependent change of the size and the number of the liquid domains. The results show partial melting (~13 %) and superheating of ice occurring at around 20 ns. After 100 ns, the average size of the liquid domains grows from about 2.5 nm to 4.5 nm by the coalescence of approximately six adjacent domains. Subsequently, we capture the recrystallization of the liquid domains, which occurs on microsecond timescales due to the cooling by heat dissipation and results to a decrease of the average liquid domain size

First test-beam results obtained with IDEA, a detector concept designed for future lepton colliders

IDEA (Innovative Detector for Electron\u2013positron Accelerators) is a detector concept designed for a future leptonic collider operating as a Higgs factory. It is based on innovative detector technologies developed over years of R&D. In September 2018, prototypes of the proposed sub-detectors have been tested for the first time on a beam line at CERN. The preliminary results from this test of a full slice of the IDEA detector and standalone measurements of dual read-out calorimeter prototypes are presented