Soft particles feel the squeeze

Nature: A crystal can grow only if all of its atomic or molecular building blocks fit into the periodic lattice. This is true even for colloidal crystals, which form through the ordered self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles. The requirement for periodicity... More... Archived source: https://web.archive.org/web/20100908021223/http://www.spacetimeandtheuniverse.com:80/general-physics/2630-soft-particles-feel-squeeze.html