**Executive Summary**
A recent study, published in Communication Physics, presents the first supercomputer-powered simulations that provide evidence for the Mpemba effect—the paradoxical phenomenon of hotter water freezing faster than colder water. The research, conducted by scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), explores the underlying mechanisms behind this phenomenon. The publication link is https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02251-6
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Mpemba Effect Simulation:**
* Scientists have developed the first supercomputer simulations to capture the Mpemba effect.
* The research demonstrates that the effect is not exclusive to water but can occur in other fluid-to-solid transitions.
* **Underlying Mechanisms:**
* The simulations suggest that when water cools, it can get stuck in intermediate molecular arrangements.
* Different starting temperatures lead to varying durations of being stuck in these states.
* Hotter water can sometimes find a faster route to nucleation, skipping delays experienced by colder water.
* **Significance and Applications:**
* This research provides insights into non-equilibrium phenomena and relaxation of materials affected by abrupt temperature fluctuations.
* It could lead to advancements in thermal control for electronics and cooling strategies.
**Impact Analysis**
**Researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR)**
* **Impact:** The research validates their simulation of ice formation and the Mpemba effect, enhancing their reputation in the scientific community and providing a basis for further research into out-of-equilibrium phenomena.
* **Action Required:** Continue to explore the implications of the findings for thermal control and material science.
**Department of Science and Technology (DST)**
* **Impact:** The success of JNCASR, an autonomous institute under DST, will contribute to DST's reputation as a facilitator of advanced scientific research.
* **Action Required:** Continue to support and promote research initiatives focused on fundamental scientific questions.
**Scientists studying water and phase transitions**
* **Impact:** The best explanation yet of why "hot can freeze faster than cold” contributes significantly to the ongoing debate about the Mpemba Effect,
* **Action Required:** Scientists can use this simulation as a guide for future research to understand this perplexing paradox of water.
Key Entities Referenced
Mpemba effect: Paradoxical phenomenon where hotter water freezes faster than colder water
Department of Science and Technology (DST): An autonomous institute which has used supercomputers to develop the first simulation of ice formation proving the Mpemba effect of water
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR): An autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) that conducted research on the Mpemba effect.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Supercomputer simulation of ice formation gives
evidence of paradoxical phenomenon of water
प्रव तथ: 06 JAN 2026 5:54PM by PIB Delhi
Scientists have developed the first supercomputer-powered simulations to capture the long existing
paradox of water that had eluded scientists for long-- hotter water freezing faster than colder water, a
phenomenon technically called Mpemba effect.
This research published in the journal Communication Physics can provide new insights into phenomena
such as relaxation of materials due to sudden temperature changes technically called out-of-equilibrium
phenomena and also can lead to diverse applications, such as giving a new perspective to thermal control
in next generation electronic or defining better cooling strategies.
Aristotle, in the Meterological, wrote, “the fact that water has previously been warmed contributes to its
freezing quickly”.
The phenomenon forgotten over time was rediscovered in the last century by Erasto Mpemba after whom
it is now named. Since then, there has been considerable interest in understanding it and identifying
whether the effect is specific only to phase transitions in water. Even though it is recently shown that the
effect appears during phase transitions in several other systems, the understanding remains largely elusive.
Furthermore, quite interestingly, the case of water has recently become controversial, even at the
experimental level. Due to the demanding nature of water simulations, there exists no computational study
to resolve the debate.
Fig 1: Snapshots from the phase transitions in the TIP4P/Ice model of water, the 2D Lennard Jones model
and the Potts model
Researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous
institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has used supercomputers to develop the first
simulation of ice formation proving the Mpemba effect of water and also demonstrating that it can appear
during fluid-to-solid transitions in systems other than water.They have explained that when water cools, it can get stuck in intermediate states of short-lived molecular
arrangements before true ice begins to grow. Different starting temperatures get stuck for varied lengths of
time.
Hotter water can sometimes “choose” a quicker path to nucleation, the birth of ice, bypassing the delays
that colder water suffers.
The best explanation yet of why “hot can freeze faster than cold” is one major step into the world of
nonequilibrium physics.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-025-02251-6
*****
NKR/FK
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2211815) आगंतुक पटल : 1807
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही