Crystalline systems are physical systems in which constituent particles (atoms, ions, or molecules) are arranged in a periodic lattice that exhibits long-range translational order. They are characterized by discrete symmetry operations described by space groups, with unit cells repeating periodically in one, two, or three dimensions. This periodicity gives rise to well-defined Brillouin zones, phonon dispersion relations, and electronic band structures, which critically determine mechanical, optical, thermal, and electronic properties. Crystalline systems serve as fundamental models in condensed matter physics for studying phase transitions, defects (dislocations, vacancies), and emergent phenomena such as superconductivity and ferroelectricity.
Using only a single-crystal piezoelectric thin wafer of lithium niobate (LN) instead of the usual two-part structure, a group from Nagoya University in Japan has created a deformable mirror that changes X-ray beam size by ...
Optics & Photonics
Jun 27, 2025
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An international team of scientists led by Rice University's Pengcheng Dai has confirmed the existence of emergent photons and fractionalized spin excitations in a rare quantum spin liquid. Published in Nature Physics on ...
Condensed Matter
Jun 23, 2025
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A rare and bewildering intermediate between crystal and glass can be the most stable arrangement for some combinations of atoms, according to a study from the University of Michigan.
Condensed Matter
Jun 13, 2025
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225
Extensive industrial catalytic applications have shown that the confined nano-channels of zeolites can precisely regulate molecular diffusion and metal cluster migration, effectively enhancing catalyst activity, selectivity, ...
Nanomaterials
May 28, 2025
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23
Tiny strains in a crystal can cause electrons to behave in a surprising way that closely resembles a highly sought-after mechanism, RIKEN physicists have found in a new study. Previous studies may need to be re-evaluated ...
Nanophysics
May 28, 2025
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102
Diamond is one of the most prized materials in advanced technologies due to its unmatched hardness, ability to conduct heat and capacity to host quantum-friendly defects. The same qualities that make diamond useful also make ...
Condensed Matter
May 23, 2025
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60
Scientists studying a promising quantum material have stumbled upon a surprise: within its crystal structure, the material naturally forms one of the world's thinnest semiconductor junctions—a building block of most modern ...
Condensed Matter
May 20, 2025
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142
The orbital angular momentum of electrons has long been considered a minor physical phenomenon, suppressed in most crystals and largely overlooked. Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have now discovered that in certain ...
Condensed Matter
May 20, 2025
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108
Scientists and engineers at the University of Nottingham have measured the stiffness of space rock for the first time. Many meteorites are made of crystalline materials, formed under exotic conditions that cannot be replicated ...
Planetary Sciences
May 16, 2025
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37
In our study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, our team from The University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University, led by the late Nobel Laureate Professor Fraser Stoddart, developed RP-H200, a ...
