Revolutionary materials reflect ancient forms

Particles in quasicrystalline light field: Stuttgart-based physicists superimposed five laser beams to create a quasicrystalline structure. Upon variation of the laser intensity the small plastic spheres arrange differently. At certain light intensities they form a pattern, shown here with red lines, similar to an ancient model - an Archimedean tiling. Image: Ingrid Schofron (MPI of Metals Research) & Jules Mikhael (University of Stuttgart)