Answer to Question #157408 in Molecular Physics | Thermodynamics for Vincent

Question

Define the following terms:

i. Basis

ii. Primitive cell

iii. Brillouin zone

iv. Unit cell

v. Reciprocal lattice

Answer 1

i. Basis is arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystal. Crystals are solids having, in all three dimensions of space, a regular repeating internal unit of structure.

ii. A primitive cell is a unit cell that contains exactly one lattice point. It is the smallest possible cell. 

iii. Brillouin zone is a uniquely defined primitive cell in reciprocal space. 

iv. The unit cell is defined as the smallest repeating unit having the full symmetry of the crystal structure. 

v.The reciprocal lattice is constituted of the set of all possible linear combinations of the basis vectors a*, b*, c* of the reciprocal space.