Materials modeling improved by giving atoms freedom

Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Calif., created a new model for crystal defects at realistic temperatures. As most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals, their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there’s a well-known saying in materials science: “Crystals are like people. It is the defects that tend to make them interesting.”

Ancient zircon crystals offer a glimpse into early Earth history

To determine what Earth was like early in its lifetime, researchers turn to minerals called zircons, which are resilient against physical and chemical alteration over time and thus preserve a precise chemical record about the moments in which they were formed. Some of the oldest zircon crystals are 4.4 billion years old. Now, a new study at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) examines these most ancient zircon grains and discovers evidence for two key findings.

Material model adapts stiffness using sound waves

Using this model of a 1D material, researchers demonstrate a new way to remotely change a material’s stiffness using sound waves. The team was co-led by the University of California San Diego, University of Michigan, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at Laboratory of Acoustics of Le Mans University.