Observation of undercooling in a levitated nanoscale liquid Au droplet

Abstract: We investigate melting and undercooling in nanoscale (radius ~100 nm) gold particles that are levitated in a quadrupole ion (Paul) trap in a high vacuum environment. The particle is heated via laser illumination and probed using two main methods. Firstly, measurements of its mass are used to determine the evaporation rate during illumination and infer the temperature of the particle. Secondly, direct optical measurements show that the light scattered from the particle is significantly different in its liquid and solid phases. The particle is repeatedly heated across its melting transition, and the dependence of heating behavior on particle size is investigated. Undercooling -- the persistence of a liquid state below the melting temperature -- is induced via multi-stage laser pulses. The extent of undercooling is explored and compared to theoretical predictions.