Aperiodic Schrodinger Crystals

Abstract

In 1945, E. Schrödinger predicted the possibility of the existence of "aperiodic crystals,"that is, more and more increasing crystalline aggregates, but without a simple lattice repetition mechanism. In the present work, such structures are experimentally prepared using selenium as an example. By thermal gradient treatment of the amorphous selenium film, we have obtained nano-thin spatial dissipative structures (SDS) of hexagonal selenium, the lattice of which undergoes non-uniform rotational curvature around, in the general case, three mutually perpendicular directions. The formation of these nano-thin SDS of hexagonal selenium occurs as a result of cooperative rotations of selenium macromolecules around, in general, three mutually perpendicular directions. Since nano-thin SDS after hardening in air have all the features of crystals each of the above nano-thin SDS of hexagonal selenium obtained at different annealing temperatures corresponds to the concept of "aperiodic crystals"Thus, "aperiodic crystals"were obtained experimentally, the possibility of the existence of which was predicted by E. Schrödinger. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.