Order (crystal lattice)

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Order in a crystal lattice is the arrangement of some property with respect to atomic positions. It arises in charge ordering, spin ordering, magnetic ordering, and compositional ordering. It is a thermodynamic entropy concept often displayed by a second order phase transition. Generally speaking, high thermal energy is associated with disorder and low thermal energy with ordering, although there have been violations of this. Ordering peaks become apparent in diffraction experiments at low angles. Magnetic ordering is observable in neutron diffraction.