Understanding ice phases with virtual environments

Abstract

Immersive virtual reality experiences have been considered a domain for games or military training. However, the use of three-dimensional environments became also essential in several scientific areas such as fluid dynamics, chemistry, etc. In science education, it is also becoming popular since it facilitates the development of correct scientific models. "Virtual Water" is a virtual environment allowing the exploration of the molecular constituents of water as well as some of the macroscopic structures made up by them. Hydrogen bonding is the key feature for understanding the physical and chemical properties of water. Solid water has a rich phase diagram that is still not fully understood. We show how to explore some solid phases as well as clusters, which are intermediate structures between the molecule and the solid.