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The discretely diffracting aperiodic crystals termed quasicrystals, discovery at NBS in the early 1980s, have led to much interdisciplinary activity involving mainly materials science, physics, mathematics, and crystalography. It led to a new understanding of how atoms can arrange themselves, the role of periodicity in nature, and has created a new branch of crystallography.
Cahn, J.
(2001),
Quasicrystals, Journal of Research (NIST JRES), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
(Accessed October 6, 2025)