The crystal problem for polytypes
Dowman P. Varn
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Geoffrey S. Canright
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Indiana University
Abstract:
Recent work on discrete classical problems in one-dimensional statistical mechanics
has shown that, given certain elementary symmetries, such problems may not have a periodic
(crystalline) ground state, even in the absence of fine tuning of the couplings. Here these results
are applied to several families of well known polytypic materials. The families studied are those represented by
the compounds silicon carbide, cadmium iodide, gallium selenide, and also the micas and kaolins.
For all families but silicon carbide it is found that there is a finite probability for
the ground state to be degenerate and disordered.
A copy of this paper in pdf format:
The crystal problem for polytypes
Publisher's web site:
Acta Crystallographica Section A: Foundations of Crystallography
Citation: D.P. Varn and G.S. Canright, Acta Crystallogr., Sec A 57 (2001) 4 - 19.
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