Overview

• Graduate student Anthony Raykh discovered the unusual liquid behavior while experimenting with oil, water, and magnetized nickel particles.
• The liquid consistently forms a Grecian urn shape upon agitation, a phenomenon that defies standard thermodynamic laws governing emulsification.
• Researchers from UMass Amherst, Tufts, and Syracuse collaborated to analyze the behavior, using simulations to understand the role of magnetic particle interactions.
• Recent findings show that altering the oil-to-water ratio can change the liquid's shape from an urn to a spherical form, highlighting the sensitivity of the phenomenon to composition.
• While the discovery currently lacks practical applications, it offers potential insights into soft-matter physics and the dynamics of complex fluids.