Broken Symmetry (IMAGE)

Brown University

Broken Symmetry

Caption

Researchers used tiny beads arranged in a crystalline lattice to investigate how two-dimensional solids melt. The research examined the effects of interstitial defects -- extra particles in a crystalline structure. They found that while one interstitial made little different, two interstitials broke the symmetry of the lattice. The findings help explain why 2-d solids melt before theories predict they should

Credit

Ling Lab/Brown University

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