A finely-tuned balance between the proton-to-electron mass ratio and another dimensionless constant, the fine structure constant, governs nuclear reactions and nuclear synthesis in stars leading to essential biochemical elements including carbon. It also tells us that we should not waste resources trying to beat the fundamental limit because the constants of Nature will mold the viscosity at or above this point.įundamental physical constants and in particular dimensionless constants (fundamental constants that do not depend on the choice of physical units) are believed to define the Universe we live in. In this instance, the discovered fundamental limit provides a useful theoretical guide of what to aim for. One example where this is important is the recent use of supercritical fluids for green and environmentally clean ways of treating and dissolving complex waste products.

It could be applied where a new fluid for a chemical, industrial or biological process with a low viscosity is required. There are practical implications of discovering this limit too. Yet our results show that the minimal viscosity of all liquids turns out to be simple and universal.” Viscosity is a complicated property varying strongly for different liquids and external conditions. Professor Kostya Trachenko, lead author of the paper from Queen Mary University of London, said: “This result is startling. Their equation relates the minimal value of elementary viscosity (the product of viscosity and volume per molecule) to the Planck constant, which governs the quantum world, and the dimensionless proton-to-electron mass ratio.

Physical constants, or constants of Nature, are measurable properties of the physical universe that do not change. In the study, published in Science Advances, they show that two fundamental physical constants govern how runny a liquid can be. Credit: Image by ĭespite this difficulty, the researchers have developed an equation to do so. The image shows how fundamental constants of Nature set the fundamental lower limit for liquid viscosity.

Define viscosity in science