Physics Research Conference

Once Upon a Time in Kamchatka: The Extraordinary Search for Natural Quasicrystals

Paul Steinhardt, Princeton University,

A quasicrystal is an exotic state of matter with symmetries once thought to be impossible for matter. The concept was first introduced and the first examples were synthesized in the laboratory thirty years ago, but could Nature have beaten us to the punch? This talk will describe the search for the first natural quasicrystal, an adventure that has taken us to the ends of the Earth and beyond (and one of the stranger scientific stories you are ever likely to hear).

Event Sponsors:

Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy - More events from this Sponsor

For more information, please contact Sheri Stoll by phone at 395-6608 or by email at [email protected] or visit http://www.pma.caltech.edu/~physcoll/PhysColl.html.