Download or read book Quasicrystals written by Christian Janot and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1984, physicists discovered a totally unexpected form of matter--a structure that appeared to contain five-fold symmetry axes, which cannot exist in strictly periodic structures--that became known as quasicrystals. In an effort to understand these structures, a theory that employed higher dimensional space groups was conceived, enabling the creation of new alloy phases that exhibited the properties expected from this model. Now in its second edition, Quasicrystals: A Primer offers an up-to-date and accessible introduction to the subject for students approaching it for the first time. Providing lively treatments of a range of practical, experimental, and theoretical topics, the book has been completely updated to reflect the latest advances in quasicrystal research and application. Helpful problem sets and a computer program that generates a Penrose lattice are included as well. Students and researchers in materials science, crystallography, and condensed matter physics will welcome this new edition of a trustworthy, user-friendly survey of an important topic in crystallography.