From Finite to Infinite Range Order via Annealing: The Causal Architecture of Deformation Faulting in Annealed Close-Packed Crystals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how annealing causes zinc-sulfide crystals to develop infinite-range order from initial short-range arrangements, revealing complex structural information that cannot be captured by finite-range models, with validation through diffraction spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a simple random deformation-faulting model showing the emergence of infinite-range order during annealing in close-packed crystals.

Findings

Infinite-range structures emerge from short-range order during annealing.

Layer stacking cannot be fully described by finite-range Markov processes.

Model predictions agree well with experimental diffraction spectra.

Abstract

We analyze solid-state phase transformations that occur in zinc-sulfide crystals during annealing using a random deformation-faulting mechanism with a very simple interaction between adjacent close-packed double layers. We show that, through annealing, infinite-range structures emerge from initially short-range crystal order. That is, widely separated layers carry structurally significant information and so layer stacking cannot be completely described by any finite-range Markov process. We compare our results to two experimental diffraction spectra, finding excellent agreement.