Quasicrystals are exotic materials that have symmetries that once thought to be impossible for matter. The first known examples were synthesized in the laboratory 40 years ago, but could Nature have beaten us to the punch? Many thought this was impossible. This talk will describe the decades-long search to prove them wrong, resulting in one of the strangest scientific stories you are ever likely to hear.
Paul Joseph Steinhardt is the Albert Einstein Professor in Science in the Department of Physics at Princeton University and Director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1978. Prior to his appointment at Princeton, he was the Mary Amanda Wood Chair Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His current research spans problems in cosmology, astrophysics, particle physics, condensed matter physics, photonics, geophysics and planetary science. He is exploring several different novel kinds of non- crystalline solids and their physical properties. He is also working at the interface between particle physics, string theory, general relativity and astrophysics. He has pioneered and popularized a new theory about the origins of the universe, popularly known as the “big bounce.” This alternative to the Big Bang proposes that the universe undergoes cycles of contraction and expansion accompanied by the creation of hot matter and radiation. He holds numerous professional positions and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of the American Astronomical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.