Tag Archives: quasicrystals
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 calculus of creative discipline
Every moment of a science fiction story must represent the triumph of writing over world-building. World-building is dull. World-building literalises the urge to invent. World-building gives an unnecessary permission for acts of writing (indeed, for acts of reading). World-building numbs … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Op-eds
Tagged classical mechanics, creative discipline, critical points, Dan Shechtman, differential calculus, EPR paradox, fantasy fiction, Imre Lakatos, JK Rowling, Karl Popper, literary criticism, M John Harrison, Malazan Book of the Fallen, mathematical analysis, nerdism, Niels Bohr, Paul Feyerabend, Philosophy of Science, quasicrystals, replication crisis, smooth functions, Steven Erikson, Thomas Kuhn, Viriconium, world-building
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A case of Kuhn, quasicrystals & communication – Part IV
Dan Shechtman won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2011. This led to an explosion of interest on the subject of QCs and Shechtman’s travails in getting the theory validated. Numerous publications, from Reuters to The Hindu, published articles and reports. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Current Science, Dan Shechtman, Nobel Prize for Chemistry, quasicrystals, science journalism, Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn
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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
Posted in Uncategorized
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
Posted in Uncategorized
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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A case of Kuhn, quasicrystals & communication – Part I
Dan Shechtman’s discovery of quasi-crystals, henceforth abbreviated as QCs, in 1982 was a landmark achievement that invoked a paradigm-shift in the field of physical chemistry. However, at the time, the discovery faced stiff resistance from the broader scientific community and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Dan Shechtman, Linus Pauling, paradigm shift, quasicrystals, science journalism, Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn
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