Aperiodic crystals are long range ordered structures which lack translational invariance. They are found in a large variety of systems (minerals, organic compounds, single element under pressure, oxides, ferro-electrics, intermetallic compounds) and encompass incommensurately modulated structures, incommensurate composites and quasicrystals.

The structure determination of aperiodic crystals and the influence of the aperiodic order on their physical properties have made tremendous progress in recent years. However the high dimensional description and superspace approach used to describe the atomic structure of aperiodic crystal remains difficult to grasp for the non specialist.

This is why the Commission on Aperiodic Crystals and the Commission on Teaching Crystallography of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) have decided to organize a school on Aperiodic Crystals.

The targeted audience is clearly a non-specialist one: Phd students or experienced scientists working in the field of crystallography, chemistry, material science or solid state physic and willing to have a basic understanding of aperiodic crystals.

The school will be organized on 5 days in Carqueiranne, south of France. Experts in the field of aperiodic crystal will give lectures, in a tutorial way and on a step by step basis. The number of participants will be limited to 65 in order to facilitate exchanges.

After an introduction to the high dimensional concept on simple 1D or 2D toy model examples, the basis of the structure determination of aperiodic crystal will be introduced for each class of aperiodic crystals. Various examples will then be presented, together with overviews on phase transitions, phonon and phasons, simulations and aperiodic crystal stability.

Tutorial in small groups (20) will also be organized in order to practice the notion learned in the lectures.