Physics of Colloids in Space+ (PCS+)This experiment is a follow on to the original PCS experiment.
Why:
In microgravity, the thermal energy of micron-sized hard spheres can be used to model the behavior of atoms. Using micron-size spheres slows down “atomic” behavior and allows us to work with groups of model atoms in a size range that can be studied with visible light.
How:
When sufficiently concentrated in a fluid, these micron-sized hard spheres can self-order by bumping into each other until they form ordered arrays, or crystals, which gives each sphere the most room to move around (maximum entropy). On earth, at even higher concentrations, these hard sphere systems behave like glass. Their true nature and growth manifests itself in microgravity and this will be probed with the PCS+ hardware.
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Original PCS hardware in rack on the International Space Station
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Impact/Benefits:
This experiment allows us to answer fundamental questions about how model atoms change their behavior as more and more neighbors are moved into their neighborhood. This behavior changes radically with crowding (that is, with increasing volume fraction) and can be quantified in microgravity.
Physics of Colloids in Space (PCS) Web Site
Physics of Colloids in Space Project page at Harvard
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