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2 votes
1 answer
73 views

Identifying Type of Symmetry Operations

From the given set of symmetry operations for a space group, say, P-3m1 or Cmma, how can one identify the type of all symmetry operations. For example, how to distinguish the axis of rotation symmetry ...
AbPhys's user avatar
  • 123
2 votes
1 answer
134 views

Why are certain lattices compatible with only certain point groups and not all point groups?

I will limit this discussion to 2 dimensions for ease of intuition. My understanding of the 17 crystallographic plane groups is that these 17 groups represent all the possible symmetry groups of any ...
SalahTheGoat's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
305 views

Relation between symmetry of a reciprocal vector and lattice planes perpendicular to it

What is the relation the symmetry of a high-symmetry point in the first Brillouin zone and lattice planes perpendicular to it? Are the two symmetries equivalent? I have this question because I want to ...
meTchaikovsky's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
405 views

What is m.2m point group?

I'm using Bilbao Crystallographic Server to find 3D crystallographic point groups of the K points of anatase TiO2. Since the space group of anatse TiO2 is $I4_1/amd$, on this page, I found the point ...
meTchaikovsky's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why are there only 14 types of Bravais lattices and not 28 when there are 7 types of unit cells and each can have four variations?

As the title suggests, I can't understand why certain kinds of variations (like Face-centred or Body-centred) are restricted to certain types of unit cells. An orthorhombic unit cell has Primitive, ...
Tatai's user avatar
  • 317
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why is the base-centered orthorhombic crystal lattice a unique crystal system?

I'm having difficulty understanding why the base-centered orthorhombic crystal system is a unique crystal system. When I draw two base-centered orthorhombic unit cells next to each other there appears ...
vinyl_chloride's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Conventional unit cell for a hexagonal crystal system

The figure shows a unit cell of a hexagonal crystal system. Drawn in bold, is the unit cell. The lightly shaded one is a unit cell as well and has a six fold symmetry along an axis, hence is more ...
Kashmiri's user avatar
  • 313
3 votes
1 answer
108 views

Why should the scalar product of the components along two axes remain unchanged after transformation?

A couple of proofs from Chapter 2 of "Space Groups for Solid State Scientists" are giving me a hard time (see attached image). So what I understand is: "r" was the original ...
nimmi's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why rutile structure have primitive unit cell instead of body centered?

In the literature (Wikipedia), I read that $\ce{MgH2}$ have a structure of rutile. Then, I looked at its space group which is $P4_2/mnm$. From this notation, I understood that it possesses a (...
Juila's user avatar
  • 37
3 votes
1 answer
171 views

Origin in a crystal

I am trying to understand the International Tables for Crystallography. How can I identify the origin in the image on the left? Without knowing the origin, I cannot identify the position of the ...
Jose Marin's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Sulfuric acid symmetry point group

On the following page: https://cccbdb.nist.gov/pglist.asp It appears that the point symmetry group of sulphuric acid is $C_2$. I know that $C_2$ means that there is an axis of symmetry of order 2 (180 ...
Carlos's user avatar
  • 607
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

Reading Stereographs

On an old paper, I found an interesting representation of some symmetry operations: stereographs. Online I found a set of symmetry operations and related stereographs (see: http://newton.ex.ac.uk/...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
603 views

What is the diagram of the roto-inversion of $\bar 6$?

Using the standard way of representation: Here we have a rotation followed by an inversion (technically called 'rotational inversion'). So as to represent it, what I have done is: 1) Both rotation ...
JD_PM's user avatar
  • 351
2 votes
0 answers
78 views

What system of nomenclature can I use to indicate the positions of specific kinds of atoms of a surface reconstruction?

I was reading a journal based on SiC reconstructions, and they seem to mention that every dangling bond in the $(1\times 1)$ unreconstructed Si face or the $(0001)$ direction bonds up with a Si adatom ...
Ghosal_C's user avatar
  • 501
3 votes
0 answers
2k views

What is the symmetry of the cuboctahedron (FCC metal)?

The background to this is that I've recently given a tutorial wherein we had to go through the determination of point groups for atoms in various lattices (BCC, FCC/CCP and HCP). BCC and HCP, I have ...
Wandering Chemist's user avatar

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