Lifetime of the bond network and gel-like anomalies in supercooled water

Abstract

We analyze the distribution of bond lifetimes in simulations of liquid water using a novel bond definition. We find that the characteristic lifetimes of the bonds and of the ‘‘gel’’ network itself both increase strongly when temperature is decreased–and even appear to diverge at a temperature well below the freezing temperature–thereby providing an appealing physical picture of the anomalous behavior of water in the supercooled region.