All hard, convex shapes pack more densely than spheres, although for tetrahedra this was demonstrated only very recently. Here, tetrahedra are shown to pack even more densely than previously thought. Thermodynamic computer simulations allow the system to evolve naturally towards high-density states, showing that a fluid of hard tetrahedra undergoes a first-order phase transition to a dodecagonal quasicrystal, and yielding the highest packing fractions yet observed for tetrahedra.
- Amir Haji-Akbari
- Michael Engel
- Sharon C. Glotzer
