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In a string-net liquid, atoms have apparently unstable arrangement, like a liquid, but are still consistent in overall pattern, like a solid. When in a normal solid state, the atoms of matter align themselves in a grid pattern, so that the spin of any electron is the opposite of the spin of all electrons touching it.
In common temperatures and pressures, atoms form the three classical states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Complex molecules can also form various mesophases such as liquid crystals, which are intermediate between the liquid and solid phases. At high temperatures or strong electromagnetic fields atoms become ionized, forming plasma.
Therefore, liquid and solid are both termed condensed matter. On the other hand, as liquids and gases share the ability to flow, they are both called fluids. A liquid is made up of tiny vibrating particles of matter, such as atoms, held together by intermolecular bonds. Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container.
In crystallography, short range order refers to the regular and predictable arrangement (i.e. crystalline lattice) of atoms over a short distance, usually with one or two atom spacings. However, this regularity described by short-range order does not necessarily apply to a larger area. [1]
A phonon is a collective excitation in a periodic, elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids.A type of quasiparticle in physics, [1] a phonon is an excited state in the quantum mechanical quantization of the modes of vibrations for elastic structures of interacting particles.
Atoms can also combine to create materials that do not consist of discrete molecules, including crystals and liquid or solid metals. [136] [137] This atomic matter forms networked arrangements that lack the particular type of small-scale interrupted order associated with molecular matter. [138]
It relies on the interaction of X-rays with the electron density of the crystal lattice, producing diffraction patterns that can be used to deduce the arrangement of atoms. [5] This method has been instrumental in elucidating the structures of a wide range of materials, including organic compounds, inorganic compounds, and proteins.
The strictest form of order in a solid is lattice periodicity: a certain pattern (the arrangement of atoms in a unit cell) is repeated again and again to form a translationally invariant tiling of space. This is the defining property of a crystal. Possible symmetries have been classified in 14 Bravais lattices and 230 space groups.