NSF Award
9804094
9804094Adolphi This is a new proposal from an undergraduate institution prepared by two PIs who equally co-share a tenured assistant professor position in the Physics Department of Knox College, in Galesburg, Illinois. The research is focused on the study of the structure of quasi-crystals by means of magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR. Diffraction studies of quasi-crystals show that the patterns are very sharp, which indicates some sort of long range order. These quasi-crystals possess five-fold symmetry, a symmetry which is predicted not to exist for a periodic structure according to classical group theoretical arguments. Discovered in 1984, these quasi-crystals pose new problems for the solid state physicist who now has to expand to notion of a periodic lattice structure to allow for a quasi-perodicity. The research described in this proposal focuses on the TiZrNi metal system which will be studied by 2D MAS NMR. The proposed work is outside the realm of investigations of well established problems. It is therefore high-risk research which has the potential of good scientific payoff. Besides the two co-PIs the work will involve the participation of undergraduate students. %%% This is a new proposal from an undergraduate institution prepared by two PIs who equally co-share a tenured assistant professor position in the Physics Department of Knox College, in Galesburg, Illinois. The research is focused on the study of the structure of quasi-crystals by means of magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR. Diffraction studies of quasi-crystals show that the patterns are very sharp, which indicates some sort of long range order. These quasi-crystals possess five-fold symmetry, a symmetry which is predicted not to exist for a periodic structure according to classical group theoretical arguments. Discovered in 1984, these quasi-crystals pose new problems for the solid state phy sicist who now has to expand to notion of a periodic lattice structure to allow for a quasi-perodicity. The research described in this proposal focuses on the TiZrNi metal system which will be studied by 2D MAS NMR. The proposed work is outside the realm of investigations of well established problems. It is therefore high-risk research which has the potential of good scientific payoff. Besides the two co-PIs the work will involve the participation of undergraduate students. ***
