Tag Archives: crystallography
A new beast: antiferromagnetic quasicrystals
Scientists have made a new material that is both a quasicrystal and antiferromagnetic — a combination never seen before. Quasicrystals are a special kind of solid. Unlike normal crystals, whose atoms are arranged in repeating patterns, quasicrystals have patterns that … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged antiferromagnetism, approximant crystals, arc melting, crystallography, Curie-Weiss temperature, electron diffraction, ferromagnetism, magnetic order, magnetisation, neutron diffraction, quantum spin, quasicrystals, quasiperiodic order, rare-earth elements, specific heat, spintronics, Tsai quasicrystal, X-ray diffraction
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Why do quasicrystals exist?
Featured image: An example of zellij tilework in the Al Attarine Madrasa in Fes, Morocco (2012), with complex geometric patterns on the lower walls and a band of calligraphy above. Caption and credit: just_a_cheeseburger (CC BY) ‘Quasi’ means almost. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Scicomm
Tagged crystallography, Dan Shechtman, density functional theory, DFT-FE, enthalpy, entropy, finite element analysis, fivefold symmetry, graphics processing unit, Linus Carl Pauling, nucleation, phase diagram, quasicrystals, scandium-zinc, surface energy, translational symmetry, unit cell, ytterbium-cadmium
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The notion of natural quasicrystals is here to stay
In November 2008, Luca Bindi, a curator at the Universita degli Studi di Firenze, Italy, found that the alloy of aluminium and copper called khatyrkite could be a quasicrystal. Bindi couldn’t be sure because he didn’t have the transmission electron microscope necessary to verify his … Continue reading
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Tagged crystallography, Dan Shechtman, icosahedrite, khatyrkite, Luca Bindi, natural quasicrystals, Paul Steinhardt, Virat Markandeya
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A case of Kuhn, quasicrystals & communication – Part III
The doctrine of incommensurability arises out of the conflict between two paradigms and the faltering of communications between the two adherent factions. According to Kuhn, scientists are seldom inclined to abandon the paradigm at the first hint of crisis – … Continue reading
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Tagged crystal twinning, crystallography, doctrine of incommensurability, Linus Carl Pauling, quasicrystals, science journalism, three-dimensional geometry
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A case of Kuhn, quasicrystals & communication – Part II
Did science journalists find QCs anomalous? Did they report the crisis period as it happened or as an isolated incident? Whether they did or did not will be indicative of Kuhn’s influence on science journalism as well as a reflection … Continue reading
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Tagged crystallography, Dan Shechtman, Dov Levine, Istvan Hargittai, Malcolm Browne, Paul Steinhardt, Penrose tiling, quasicrystals, science journalism, Structure of Scientific Revolutions, three-dimensional geometry
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