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When were Dan Shechtmanâs quasicrystal findings first published?
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quasicrystal
Figure 1: Hexagonal lattice of atomic sites.
Dan Shechtman first published his findings on quasicrystals in 1984.1
Although Shechtman observed the unexpected fivefold symmetry in an aluminum-manganese alloy while on sabbatical in 1982, he faced significant skepticism from the scientific community, which considered such structures impossible under the established rules of crystallography. Consequently, he was unable to publish his research until 1984. Later that same year, the term "quasicrystal" was coined by physicists Paul Steinhardt and Dov Levine to describe the discovery.1