Peter Poole

Peter Poole is a Professor in the Department of Physics at St. Francis Xavier University. His research focuses on the physics of supercooled liquids, crystallization, and the glass transition, utilizing molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations to explore phase transitions in water, amorphous ice, and molten silica. He is actively involved in high-performance computing (HPC) through collaborations with Canadian consortia SHARCNET and ACEnet.

Poole's work emphasizes the thermodynamics and relaxation behavior of deeply supercooled water and amorphous ice, as well as polyamorphism in silica and Lennard-Jones systems. His simulations leverage advanced computational resources to test theories of crystal and glass formation, addressing longstanding gaps in predictive capabilities of condensed matter physics.

His research trends include exploring liquid-liquid phase transitions in supercooled water nanodroplets, the role of surface tension and Laplace pressure in nanoscale systems, and the interplay between thermodynamic anomalies and phase stability. Collaborations with HPC networks have enabled large-scale ensemble simulations, such as 'swarm relaxation' techniques to equilibrate complex systems.

Poole has contributed to foundational studies on the liquid-liquid critical point hypothesis, nucleation mechanisms, and the dynamic crossover in supercooled liquids. His recent work includes experimental observations of liquid-liquid transitions under high pressure and theoretical advancements in free energy landscapes of two-step nucleation processes.

Notable contributions also include tributes to pioneers like C. Austen Angell, underscoring his role in advancing the field of amorphous solids and glass transition physics. His research bridges computational simulations with experimental insights, driving advancements in understanding fundamental condensed matter phenomena.