1) Symmetry operations like translations, rotations, reflections, and inversions leave crystal structures invariant.
2) Emmy Noether's theorem established a relationship between symmetry and conservation laws. Translational symmetry leads to conservation of linear momentum.
3) Crystals have translational and lattice symmetry. Their unit cells, which repeat to fill space, can be primitive or non-primitive. Lattice and point symmetries further restrict possible crystal structures.
1) Symmetry operations like translations, rotations, reflections, and inversions leave crystal structures invariant.
2) Emmy Noether's theorem established a relationship between symmetry and conservation laws. Translational symmetry leads to conservation of linear momentum.
3) Crystals have translational and lattice symmetry. Their unit cells, which repeat to fill space, can be primitive or non-primitive. Lattice and point symmetries further restrict possible crystal structures.
1) Symmetry operations like translations, rotations, reflections, and inversions leave crystal structures invariant.
2) Emmy Noether's theorem established a relationship between symmetry and conservation laws. Translational symmetry leads to conservation of linear momentum.
3) Crystals have translational and lattice symmetry. Their unit cells, which repeat to fill space, can be primitive or non-primitive. Lattice and point symmetries further restrict possible crystal structures.
1) Symmetry operations like translations, rotations, reflections, and inversions leave crystal structures invariant.
2) Emmy Noether's theorem established a relationship between symmetry and conservation laws. Translational symmetry leads to conservation of linear momentum.
3) Crystals have translational and lattice symmetry. Their unit cells, which repeat to fill space, can be primitive or non-primitive. Lattice and point symmetries further restrict possible crystal structures.
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Symmetry Operations
brief remark about the general role of symmetry in modern physics
V(X)
V(X)
dV Fx dx
V(X1) V(X2)
Fx
dV 0 dx
conservation of momentum
change of momentum
dp x Fx dt
dp x 0 dt
p x const.
V(X1) = V(X2) X1X2
X1
Emmy Noether 1918: Symmetry in nature
conservation law
translational symmetry
X2
1882 in Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany
1935 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA
Example for symmetry in QM
Hamiltonian invariant with respect to rotation Breaking the symmetry with magnetic field E
mJ=-1 mJ=0
angular momentum conserved
J good quantum number Zeeman splitting
Proton and Neutron 2 states of one particle
mJ=+1 B=0
B0
breaking the Isospin symmetry
Magnetic phase transition
T>TC
T<TC
Symmetry in perfect single crystals
ideally perfect single crystal infinite three-dimensional repetition of identical building blocks called basis
basis single atom
simple molecule
very complex molecular structure
Quantity of matter contained in the unit cell
Volume of space (parallelepiped)
fills all of space by translation of discrete distances
Example: crystal from
hexagonal unit cell
square unit cell
there is often more than one reasonable choice of a repeat unit (or unit cell) most obvious symmetry of crystalline solid
n2=1 b
n1=2 a
3D crystalline solid
Translational symmetry 3 translational basis vectors a, b, c
-by parallel extensions the basis vectors form a parallelepiped,
the unit cell, of volume V=a(bxc) translational operation
T=n1a+n2b+n3c where n1, n2, n3
arbitrary integers
-connects positions with identical atomic environments
concept of translational invariance is more general
physical property at r (e.g.,electron density) Set of operations
is also found at r=r+T
T=n1a+n2b+n3c defines
r r
space lattice
or
Bravais lattice
purely geometrical concept
lattice
crystal structure
basis
lattice and translational vectors a, b,c are primitive if every point r equivalent to r is created by T according to r=r+T
identical atomic arrangement
r=r+ a2 no primitive unit cell
Primitive basis: minimum number of atoms
in the primitive (smallest) unit cell which is sufficient to characterize crystal structure
r r=r+0.5 a4 x
No integer!
no primitive translation vector
2 important examples for primitive and non primitive unit cells
face centered cubic
1atom/Vprimitive
4 atoms/Vconventinal
a1=a(, ,0) a2=a(0, ,) a3=a(,0,)
Primitive cell: rhombohedron Vprimitive a1 a2 a3
body centered cubic
1atom/Vprimitive
Vprimitive
2 atoms/Vconventinal
1 3 1 a Vconventional 2 2
a1=(, ,-) a2=(-, ,) a3=(,- ,)
1 3 1 a Vconventional 4 4
Lattice Symmetry Symmetry of the basis point group symmetry Limitation of possible structures has to be consistent with symmetry of Bravais lattice (point group of the basis must be a point group of the lattice )
No change of the crystal after symmetry operation
Operations (in addition to translation) which leave the crystal lattice invariant
Reflection at a plane
Rotation about an axis
2 n
= n -fold rotation axis
H2o
2 2
= 2 -fold rotation axis
NH3
SF5 Cl
Cr(C6H6)2
Click for more animations and details about point group theory
point inversion
( x, y, z )
( x, y,z )
Glide
= reflection + translation
Screw
= rotation + translation
Notation for the symmetry operations
* * rotation by 2/n degrees + reflection through plane perpendicular to rotation axis
Origin of the Symbols after Schnflies:
E:identity from the German Einheit =unity Cn :Rotation (clockwise) through an angle 2/n, with n integer : mirror plane from the German Spiegel=mirror h :horizontal mirror plane, perpendicular to the axis of highest symmetry v :vertical mirror plane, passing through the axis with the highest symmetry
n-fold rotations with n=1, 2, 3,4 and 6 are the only rotation symmetries consistent with translational symmetry
! ?
? ?
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Intuitive example: pentagon
Two-dimensional crystal with lattice constant a in horizontal direction
