Finite-Temperature Elasticity Phase Transition in Decaconal Quasicrystals

TL;DR

This paper reports a finite-temperature phase transition in the phason elasticity of decagonal quasicrystals, identified through Monte Carlo simulations of a Penrose-like tiling model, revealing a transition from locked to unlocked phason dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a new order parameter and diagnostics to identify a phase transition in quasicrystal phason behavior at finite temperature.

Findings

Transition from locked to unlocked phason dynamics at finite temperature

Phasons can be thermodynamically excited in the unlocked phase

Evidence of a novel phase transition in quasicrystal elasticity

Abstract

We present evidence for a novel finite-temperature phase transition in the phason elasticity of quasicrystals. A tiling model for energetically stabilized decagonal quasicrystals has been studied in an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulation. Hamiltonian (energetics) of the model is given by nearest-neighbor Penrose-like matching rules between three dimensional unit cells. A new order parameter and diagnostics have been introduced. We show that a transition from locked phason to unlocked phason dynamics occurs at finite temperature. In the unlocked phase, phasons can be thermodynamically excited even though the quasicrystal is energetically stabilized at low temperatures.