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Nature 408, 781-782 (14 December 2000) | doi:10.1038/35048652

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Condensed-matter science: Five-fold symmetry in liquids

Frans Spaepen

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A complete description of the structure of simple liquids is missing from our understanding of matter. But new observations show that liquids contain many configurations with five-fold symmetry.

Understanding the structure of simple liquids is a fundamental, unsolved problem in the mathematical and physical sciences. Attempts to describe liquids as disordered crystals have all failed, and their description as dense gases (fluids) remains too complex.