Accidental synthesis of a previously unknown quasicrystal in the first atomic bomb test
Accidental synthesis of a previously unknown quasicrystal in the first atomic bomb test
复制标题
DOI：
10.1073/pnas.2101350118
复制
发表时间：
2021-06-01
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Steinhardt, Paul J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bindi, Luca;Kolb, William;Steinhardt, Paul J.
The first test explosion of a nuclear bomb, the Trinity test of 16 July 1945, resulted in the fusion of surrounding sand, the test tower, and copper transmission lines into a glassy material known as "trinitite." Here, we report the discovery, in a sample of red trinitite, of a hitherto unknown composition of icosahedral quasicrystal, Si61Cu30Ca7Fe2. It represents the oldest extant anthropogenic quasicrystal currently known, with the distinctive property that its precise time of creation is indelibly etched in history. Like the naturally formed quasicrystals found in the Khatyrka meteorite and experimental shock syntheses of quasicrystals, the anthropogenic quasicrystals in red trinitite demonstrate that transient extreme pressure-temperature conditions are suitable for the synthesis of quasicrystals and for the discovery of new quasicrystalforming systems.
