Ebook: Indiana Steinhardt and the Quest for Quasicrystals : A Conversation with Paul Steinhardt

This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Paul Steinhardt, the Albert Einstein Professor of Science and Director of the Center for Theoretical Science at Princeton University. This conversation provides a comprehensive account of a marvellous scientific adventure story in the quest for a natural quasicrystal. You will be taken on a fascinating ride through the physics of materials, from theory to the laboratory, to the discovery of a new state of matter, that culminated in Paul Steinhardt's dramatic Siberian expedition to find a natural quasicrystal. Paul Steinhardt talks about his encounters with mineral smugglers, secret diaries and quasi-mythical characters during his "Indiana Jones" expedition from Florence to Israel, Amsterdam to California, Princeton to Kamchatka which led him to find quasicrystals that are quite literally out of this world...This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.CHAPTERS:I. Introducing Quasicrystals - Innovative symmetries through visual disharmoniesII. Building Models - Forcing forbidden symmetriesIII. Out of the Blue - The real world intervenesIV. Competing Explanations - A three-horse raceV. Looking to Nature - Developing a separation algorithmVI. New Year's Delight - Persistence pays offVII. Confronting the Impossible - Encountering rock-hard scepticism VIII. Tracking Khatyrkite - Smoke, mirrors, and the holotype sampleIX. Kamchatka - Closure, and perhaps another beginning X. Passing It On - How to keep the flame of science burning brightlyABOUT IDEAS ROADSHOW CONVERSATIONS:Ideas Roadshow Conversations present a wealth of candid insights from leading experts through a focused yet informal setting. Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.