Erschienen:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009
Erschienen in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Sprache:
Englisch
DOI:
10.1073/pnas.0905337106
ISSN:
0027-8424;
1091-6490
Entstehung:
Anmerkungen:
Beschreibung:
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We explore the different local symmetries in colloidal glasses beyond the standard pair correlation analysis. Using our newly developed X-ray cross correlation analysis (XCCA) concept together with brilliant coherent X-ray sources, we have been able to access and classify the otherwise hidden local order within disorder. The emerging local symmetries are coupled to distinct momentum transfer (
<jats:italic>Q</jats:italic>
) values, which do not coincide with the maxima of the amorphous structure factor. Four-, 6-, 10- and, most prevalently, 5-fold symmetries are observed. The observation of dynamical evolution of these symmetries forms a connection to dynamical heterogeneities in glasses, which is far beyond conventional diffraction analysis. The XCCA concept opens up a fascinating view into the world of disorder and will definitely allow, with the advent of free electron X-ray lasers, an accurate and systematic experimental characterization of the structure of the liquid and glass states.
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