The beginning of the end of order: Experiments prove Mermin-Wagner fluctuations
Thursday, March 30, 2017 - 08:51
in Physics & Chemistry
Classical physics states that a crystal consists of perfectly ordered particles from a continuous symmetrical atomic structure. The Mermin-Wagner theorem from 1966 broke with this view: it states that in one-dimensional and two-dimensional atomic structures (for example in an atomic chain or membrane) there cannot be perfect ordering of particles over long ranges.