This book focuses on current topics in quasicrystal science and research. Various themes are addressed, such as atomic structure, growth of quasicrystals, statistical physics and thermodynamics, magnetism, phasons, propagation of waves, surfaces and technological potential of quasicrystals. Insight into basics in physics and chemistry is also given, with examples from metallurgy, the surface of alloys, plasticity, etc., in order to point out the possible genuine aspects of quasicrystals and allow a better comparison with conventional alloys.

The book provides an introduction to all aspects of the physics of quasicrystals. The chapters, each written by an expert in this field, cover quasiperiodic tilings and the modeling of the atomic structure of quasicrystals. The electronic density of states and the calculation of the electronic structure play a key role in this introduction, as does an extensive discussion of the atomic dynamics. The study of defects in quasicrystals by high resolution electron microscopy and the computer simulations of defects and fracture in decorated tilings are important subjects for the application of these aperiodic crystals.

As the interaction of mathematics and theoretical physics continues to intensify, the theories developed in mathematics are being applied to physics, and conversely. This book centers around the theory of primitive forms which currently plays an active and key role in topological field theory (theoretical physics), but was originally developed as a mathematical notion to define a "good period mapping" for a family of analytic structures. The invited papers in this volume are expository in nature by participants of the Taniguchi Symposium on "Topological Field Theory, Primitive Forms and Related Topics" and the RIMS Symposium bearing the same title, both held in Kyoto. The papers reflect the broad research of some of the world's leading mathematical physicists, and should serve as an excellent resource for researchers as well as graduate students of both disciplines.

As the interaction of mathematics and theoretical physics continues to intensify, the theories developed in mathematics are being applied to physics, and conversely. This book centers around the theory of primitive forms which currently plays an active and key role in topological field theory (theoretical physics), but was originally developed as a mathematical notion to define a "good period mapping" for a family of analytic structures. The invited papers in this volume are expository in nature by participants of the Taniguchi Symposium on "Topological Field Theory, Primitive Forms and Related Topics" and the RIMS Symposium bearing the same title, both held in Kyoto. The papers reflect the broad research of some of the world's leading mathematical physicists, and should serve as an excellent resource for researchers as well as graduate students of both disciplines.