Welcome to the Ice Physics Laboratory at Yale University.  We are studying the surface, size and nonequilibrium effects in single and polycrystalline ice and ice in partially frozen media.  The questions we are asking are basic to the phase behavior of ice and other materials with implications ranging from habits and growth shapes of atmospheric ice to the extreme conditions underwhich life may persist in polycrystalline ice. Larry Wilen spent his sabbatical here during 2003-2004 working with Erik Thomson and Klaus Meiners (now at the Antarctic CRC) is beginning experiments at the interface between microbiology and physics.  Melissa Spannuth is working on the phase behavior of partially frozen silica.  Here is Melissa with a cell she has been developing a cell to probe samples using X ray photon correlation spectroscopy at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne.  This is done in collaboration with Simon Mochrie.  We are also just beginning a project to study the system using a variant of diffusing wave spectroscopy.   Greg Dash, Alan Rempel and Grae Worster collaborate on many aspects of this work.

Photographs of the lab before occupation are as follows.  Entering the lab you see the following views of the principal outer space with two sinks, benches, tables and storage.  A view back to the main door to the hallway.  Here is Erik Thomson in the room within the room to provide further thermal and optical isolation from the fluctuations associated with traffic in the outer room.   The grain boundary melting apparatus is built around a Wilen/Dash type of ice cell, here with a split cold finger.  

Our work is supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the Leonard X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger Foundation, the Department of Energy and Yale University.  Our work is powered by the Digital Gaggia Syncrony espresso machine.