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Mysteries are falling from the sky

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Over 20 years of searching for a strange thing in the universe, science has not expected a meteorite to ‘fall from the sky’, bringing with it an unusual form of matter, making them think again. The pseudocrystalline is special because of its rarity in nature, the same extraterrestrial origin, and curiosity thanks to the extremely strange atomic structure that researchers believe cannot exist.
Controversy erupted, with the hypothesis that crystals have a stable structure due to mysterious interatomic forces, while some positions claim that crystals are formed from random atomic bonds, and gradually dissociate. decay over time.

Odd nature Previously, science only defined the concept of crystals, treating them as solid objects with homogeneous unit cells arranged in a periodic structure. For crystals, a unit cell can only be in the form of a cube, tetrahedron, or octagon. From rock to diamond, all crystals in the universe contain 14 symmetrical structures, each of which consists of a base cell and many atoms arranged in a special way, in which the their position is repeated periodically in three-dimensional space. When the idea of ​​pseudocrystals appeared, people believed that they did not exist in nature, but were only synthesized in a laboratory. Because, certain order of the atoms in pseudocrystals does not repeat the period, giving them innumerable symmetrical structures. Decoding the pseudo-crystal mystery can help science find a solution to the origin of the universe. Science goes crazy about pseudocrystals. Countless theories emerged, some even believed that this strange matter was sent from a distant galaxy inhabited somewhere in the universe. The appearance of pseudocrystals changed everything, ushering in the era of researching a distinct form of solids existence, in which the atoms arranged seemingly regular but without repetition. Experts call pseudocrystalline an “unpredictable unknown” in the universe, breaking the inherent harmony of the world of microscopic atoms. Others say crystal imitation is like a stray note, being “dropped” into sentences deposited between notes in the right rhythm to make a difference. The difference is the non-periodicity of the pseudocrystalline, which lacks translational symmetry. The experiments revealed an interesting fact: when translationally displaced a pseudocrystalline sample, the resulting image does not match the original. This goes against the inherent nature of conventional crystals, characterized by translational symmetry that causes the unit cells to be arranged according to a clear pattern. Because they are not repetitive, the pseudocrystals create many forms of rotational symmetry, which can be observed from many different angles with the same original pattern. For example, Florence pseudocrystalline found in a meteorite falling in the Khatyrka region (Russia) has the form of a 20-sided polyhedron (dichotomy), allowing observations from 60 different angles. Unique minerals The uniqueness of the fragment of a meteorite containing pseudocrystalline Florence lies in the aluminum metal (Al) composition, which raises a big question about the mechanism of pseudocrystalline formation in the universe. Experts also found iron and copper, and compounds of the two metals and aluminum on the meteorite. This is strange because so far, copper does not react with aluminum, unless there is human interaction with certain catalysts, otherwise the “mother of Earth” always separates the two metals. this. The International Mineralogical Association (IMA) has recognized that this dichromatic pseudocrystalline carries a new kind of mineral, with a different chemical composition with the chemical formula Al63Cu24Fe13. In early 2021, experiments at the California Institute of Technology (CIT) investigating three oxygen isotopes confirmed that the pseudo-Florence crystal was most likely from a carbonaceous chondrites meteorite – a material unlike anything on Earth. , formed within hours of the solar system’s birth, is regarded as a space rock, albeit quite pliable. Accordingly, studying this asteroid opens the opportunity to learn about the time of the Sun’s birth. The discovery of many metal isotopes suggesting the formation of the Sun is related to gravitational collapse (the phenomenon of extremely rapid contraction of large masses under gravity), caused by waves. shock from the nearby supernova explosion. Man has always believed that pseudocrystals do not exist in nature because certain order of atoms in pseudocrystals do not repeat the cycle. Yet, science is focusing on decoding strange minerals from space to develop the theory of evolution of the solar nebula, thereby understanding more about the history of the universe. These are pseudo-dichroic crystals with the mineral stishovite (crystallized by dense silica), traces of ringwoodite in meteorites (formed when the olivine mineral is pressed together by extreme pressure and exposed to a medium less pressure), or rare metal compounds such as aluminum-copper and nickel-iron. The most widely supported view believes that metals appear first in the solar nebula, then suffer the “shock” from an extremely strong asteroid impact before “clinging” to the surface of the asteroid. undergoes undetermined reactions to form foreign minerals. Complex structure For the first time, science has admitted finding traces of pseudocrystals in a meteorite, marking a new stage in the race to explain the origin of this matter. The mystery remains, regarding the reason why pseudocrystals appear in nature, and the mechanism by which atoms in pseudocrystals form a complex structure beyond existing theory. From here, two opposing schools were born. The perturbation theory believes that pseudocrystals are made up of atoms in a chaotic state, randomly linked into symmetrical clusters, after which the clusters will flexibly interact with each other, making the pseudocrystalline a zero shape. stability, then gradually decay. On the contrary, Paul Steinhardt, professor of science at Technion University (Israel), proposed the possibility that the atoms in the initial pseudocrystalline attract each other and form clusters with the form of pentagons, hexagons or many “senses”. other. These “senses” are then under the effect of a mysterious force to interact with other “senses” around, forming a certain shape. At that time, the clusters of atoms are bound together, gradually falling into a non-periodic state, creating pseudo-crystal. This connection is scientifically described exactly the property of the Penrose pattern (a famous concept in architecture created by two types of tiles that seal a plane in a non-periodic style). Paul Steinhardt argued that the atoms in pseudocrystals form clusters of many “senses”. While examining Florence’s pseudo-crystalline structure, some evidence confirmed it contained a new pseudo-particle named “phason”, which reverses the atomic clusters, breaking the rules of bonding between them. when one particle interacts with other matter. This finding reinforces confidence in the possibility that crystalline pseudo-crystallinity is completely natural, and emphasizes Paul Steinhardt’s hypothesis as being valid. Besides, science is also very active in learning about the stability properties of pseudocrystals. Two proposed mechanisms, mutually reinforcing in the existence of pseudocrystals, include arbitrary mechanisms and entropy mechanisms (chaotic measurements – the origin for understanding the dynamics of galaxies and the universe). . As the entropy value increases, some of the atoms in the pseudocrystalline vibrate and spin, thereby trying out “spontaneous” bonds, in multiple positions before they are “locked” into a specified position. . Atomic clusters can also overlap, sharing atoms under the influence of arbitrary binding mechanisms. Research on the pseudocrystalline model in the laboratory found that the stability of this material depends on the electron / atom ratio. Therefore, science speculates that the electron possesses the ability to stabilize the atom clusters. However, more evidence is still needed to confirm the stability of pseudocrystals in nature. Obviously, the journey to decode the pseudo-crystal is still very long, with many difficult questions. How, for example, does aluminum, copper and iron coexist inside alloys to form unusual minerals. The presence of aluminum in some meteorite samples raises the question of the metal appearing early in the formation of the solar system. More importantly, whether there exist other types of pseudocrystals in nature, and what kind of forces “lock” the clusters of atoms together. Answering these questions will help science sketch a new picture for the future of physics, while moving closer to the solution to the greatest mystery of all time: this universe ultimately comes from where…