Question: What is the weirdest noise crystals and neutrons have made?

Daniel Roach answered on 14 Mar 2014:

Hmmmm…. That’s a good question.

Because the ‘sounds’ we measure couldn’t be heard by an ear, we use neutrons to interpret these, and the data we get is more like looking at a wave rather than hearing it.

But we see some strange things – neutrons can see atoms moving in waves (like water waves on a pond), atoms being caught between one type of vibration and another and not being able to do one thing or another and getting ‘stuck’, atoms that join together and spin around like a swirling baton or a windmill. Atoms all jointed together in a football shape or a tube shape that pulse like a goldfish’s mouth…. really cool stuff.