Advanced Solid State Physics

Crystal physics

Many of the physical properties of solids are described by tensors. For instance, when force is applied to a piece of rubber in the x direction, compresses in the x direction but expands in the y and z directions. Crystal physics is the study of the tensor properties of crystals and how these properties are related to the symmetries of the crystals.

Outline
• Calculating the equilbrium properties of crystals from the Gibbs free energy
• Symmetries
• Point groups
• Space groups
• Symmetry transformations of tensor quantities

Reading
Kittel chapter 3: Elastic constants
An Introduction to Crystal Physics Ervin Hartmann

Resources
Crystal classes
Crystal physics, Johann Potoschnig 2011
Matlab code: Input elements of generating matrices, Generates group elements from generating matrices, Transform rank 2 tensors (matrices), Transform rank 3 tensors, View saved matrices, Download matlab files (zip).