A team of scientists led by physicist Felix Flicker from the University of Bristol developed an algorithm that generates complex fractal mazes based on the atomic structure of quasicrystals.
Quasicrystals are rare materials with unique symmetries and aperiodic patterns in their atomic arrangements.
The algorithm traces Hamiltonian cycles, which are non-intersecting paths that visit every atom in a quasicrystal exactly once, mimicking the exotic atomic arrangements of these materials.
These mazes are exponentially complex, with multiple solutions, and have potential applications in various fields, including scanning tunneling microscopy, solving complex mathematical problems, and enhancing industrial processes like adsorption, carbon capture, and catalysis due to the unique properties of quasicrystals.
Sources: The Sun, New Scientist, Notiulti, Wired, Phys.org, El Confidencial, BioBioChile, Journal du Geek, Metro, Mirage News, Algérie Monde Infos, ScienceAlert
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
