The structure of approximant μ-Al₄Mn interpreted as a modulated crystal

The structure of the μ-Al₄Mn phase, which is an approximant of icosahedral and decagonal quasicrystals, is interpreted as a modulated crystal structure. It basically comprises modulated layers, in which the ordering of atomic vacancies takes place in the close-packed layers. The modulation is considered to be due to the rearrangement of atomic vacancies as a response to the occurrence of charge-density waves.