Ge, Kevin: Formation and Patterns of Air Bubbles when Freezing Water

Title: Formation and Patterns of Air Bubbles when Freezing Water

Name: Kevin Ge

Major: Computer Engineering

School affiliation: School of Engineering

Programs: Aresty Summer Science Program

Other contributors: Troy Shinbrot, Elisavet Gallou

Abstract: One can appreciate the attractive patterns seen in wood grain or marble, but the irregular lines, warped regions, recurring bands, and needle-like air bubbles produced in ice cubes are equally mesmerizing. While easily reproducible from freezing water in a household freezer, this complex array of patterns is largely unreported and unexplained, posing an essential question to how exactly they arise. To understand the processes, finite difference models in MATLAB are coded to reproduce the patterns seen in experiments. Simulations show the combination of diffusion and interaction between temperature and the air concentration, revealing a connection between freezing ice and Turing patterns, like Liesegang ring formation in metamorphic rocks.