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The finite group notation used is: Z n: cyclic group of order n, D n: dihedral group isomorphic to the symmetry group of an n–sided regular polygon, S n: symmetric group on n letters, and A n: alternating group on n letters. The character tables then follow for all groups.
Each crystallographic point group defines the (geometric) crystal class of the crystal. The point group of a crystal determines, among other things, the directional variation of physical properties that arise from its structure, including optical properties such as birefringency , or electro-optical features such as the Pockels effect .
Each point group can be represented as sets of orthogonal matrices M that transform point x into point y according to y = Mx. Each element of a point group is either a rotation (determinant of M = 1), or it is a reflection or improper rotation (determinant of M = −1). The geometric symmetries of crystals are described by space groups, which ...
In geometry, a point group in three dimensions is an isometry group in three dimensions that leaves the origin fixed, or correspondingly, an isometry group of a sphere. It is a subgroup of the orthogonal group O(3), the group of all isometries that leave the origin fixed, or correspondingly, the group of orthogonal matrices.
The group order is defined as the subscript, unless the order is doubled for symbols with a plus or minus, "±", prefix, which implies a central inversion. [3] Hermann–Mauguin notation (International notation) is also given. The crystallography groups, 32 in total, are a subset with element orders 2, 3, 4 and 6. [4]
For example, 2 1 is a 180° (twofold) rotation followed by a translation of 1 / 2 of the lattice vector. 3 1 is a 120° (threefold) rotation followed by a translation of 1 / 3 of the lattice vector. The possible screw axes are: 2 1, 3 1, 3 2, 4 1, 4 2, 4 3, 6 1, 6 2, 6 3, 6 4, and 6 5.
The space groups with given point group are numbered by 1, 2, 3, ... (in the same order as their international number) and this number is added as a superscript to the Schönflies symbol for the corresponding point group. For example, groups numbers 3 to 5 whose point group is C 2 have Schönflies symbols C 1 2, C 2 2, C 3 2.
The irreducible complex characters of a finite group form a character table which encodes much useful information about the group G in a concise form. Each row is labelled by an irreducible character and the entries in the row are the values of that character on any representative of the respective conjugacy class of G (because characters are class functions).