Home / Research / Multi-Center Hydrogen Bond

Materials

Multi-Center Hydrogen Bond

Navigate a 2,000-atom lattice and hear emission spectra transposed into sound.

Multi-center hydrogen bond visualization

Built at the request of UCSB materials scientist Chris Van de Walle, this project visualizes an unusual multi-center hydrogen bond in a zinc-based compound — part of research into hydrogen storage for clean energy.

Visitors fly through a 2,000-atom lattice and navigate by ear: the atomic emission spectra of oxygen and zinc are transposed by precise mathematical calculation into sound, so the unique bond literally has its own musical voice. The simulation is driven by real physical laws, and Van de Walle’s researchers used it to confirm how the particles behave.

Researchers: Prof. Chris Van de Walle, Dr. Anderson Janotti, Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Dr. Lance Putnam, Dr. Başak Alper.