Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The reciprocal lattice exists in the mathematical space of spatial frequencies or wavenumbers k, known as reciprocal space or k space; it is the dual of physical space considered as a vector space. In other words, the reciprocal lattice is the sublattice which is dual to the direct lattice.
The reciprocal lattices (dots) and corresponding first Brillouin zones of (a) square lattice and (b) hexagonal lattice. In mathematics and solid state physics, the first Brillouin zone (named after Léon Brillouin) is a uniquely defined primitive cell in reciprocal space.
For example, in a crystal's k-space, there is an infinite set of points called the reciprocal lattice which are "equivalent" to k = 0 (this is analogous to aliasing). Likewise, the "first Brillouin zone" is a finite volume of k-space, such that every possible k is "equivalent" to exactly one point in this region.
It is the locus of points in space that are closer to that lattice point than to any of the other lattice points. A Wigner–Seitz cell, like any primitive cell, is a fundamental domain for the discrete translation symmetry of the lattice. The primitive cell of the reciprocal lattice in momentum space is called the Brillouin zone.
For the special case of simple cubic crystals, the lattice vectors are orthogonal and of equal length (usually denoted a); similarly for the reciprocal lattice. So, in this common case, the Miller indices (ℓmn) and [ℓmn] both simply denote normals/directions in Cartesian coordinates.
This is based on the fact that a reciprocal lattice vector (the vector indicating a reciprocal lattice point from the reciprocal lattice origin) is the wavevector of a plane wave in the Fourier series of a spatial function (e.g., electronic density function) which periodicity follows the original Bravais lattice, so wavefronts of the plane wave ...
Another helpful ingredient in the proof is the reciprocal lattice vectors. These are three vectors b 1, b 2, b 3 (with units of inverse length), with the property that a i · b i = 2π, but a i · b j = 0 when i ≠ j. (For the formula for b i, see reciprocal lattice vector.)
The reciprocal lattice is easily constructed in one dimension: for particles on a line with a period , the reciprocal lattice is an infinite array of points with spacing /. In two dimensions, there are only five Bravais lattices. The corresponding reciprocal lattices have the same symmetry as the direct lattice.