Patterns from Atomic Crystals (IMAGE)

California Institute of Technology

Patterns from Atomic Crystals

Caption

These images show light patterns generated by a rhenium-based crystal using a laser method called optical second-harmonic rotational anisotropy. At left, the pattern comes from the atomic lattice of the crystal. At right, the crystal has become a 3-D quantum liquid crystal, showing a drastic departure from the pattern due to the atomic lattice alone.

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Hsieh Lab/Caltech

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