Quasicrystals: A Primer

In 1984 physicists discovered a totally unexpected form of matter in the world of crystallography, a structure that appeared to contain five-fold symmetry axes, which cannot exist in strictly periodic structures. Such quasi-periodic structures became known as quasicrystals. In an effort to understand these structures, a theory that employed higher dimensional space groups was applied to them and new alloy phases were able to be created which exhibited the properties expected from this model. Thus many of the early controversies were dissolved. This primer is intended to provide a descriptive approach to the subject for those coming to it for the first time. The various practical, experimental, and theoretical topics are dealt with in an accessible style. The book includes problem sets and a computer program that generates a Penrose lattice. It serves as a valuable introduction to this important field for students and researchers in materials science, crystallography, and condensed matter physics.Janot, Christian is the author of 'Quasicrystals: A Primer' with ISBN 9780198513896 and ISBN 0198513895.