image: Four arbitrary eigenmodes (out of 4,698) of a disordered crystal are shown. Energies of the eigenmodes increase from left-to-right and from top-to-bottom. The characteristic lengths (size of swirls) decrease with an increase in energy of the modes. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Aug. 6, 2010, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Deniz Kaya of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., and colleagues is titled, "Normal Modes and Density of States of Disordered Colloidal Solids." view more
Credit: [Image courtesy of Mohammad Islam]