Crystals and Symmetry
NamesJason Krupp (krupp@purdue.edu)
Erik Plesha (eplesha@purdue.edu)
Andrew Wightman (awightma@purdue.edu)
Thilagan Sekaran(trajasek@purdue.edu)
A) Crystal Symmetries and Their Properties
--Miller Indices
--Slip Systems
--Group Properties
B) Crystal Movement and Symmetry
--Translational Movement
--Rotational Movement
--Mirror Movement
C)Combinations of Symmetry Operations
--32 Crystal Classes
D)Crystal Symmetry Groups
--Finite Symmetry Groups
--Non-Finite Symmetry Groups
Many important material properties depend on crystal structure. Some of these
include the following inexhaustive list: conductivity, magnetism, stiffness, and
strength.
Miller Indices represent an efficient way to label the orientation of the crystals.
For planes, the Miller Index value is the reciprocal of the value of the
intersection of the plane with a particular axis, converted to whole numbers and are
usually represented by round brackets (parenthesis). For directions in a crystal
lattice, the index is the axis coordinate of the end point of the vector, converted
to the nearest whole number and are usually represented by [square brackets].
For example, the figure above depicts 3 of the 6 cube faces and the corresponding
Miller Indices. The red plane is labeled as (100) because the plane is shifted 1
unit in the x-direction. The yellow plane is labeled (010) because it is shifted 1
unit in the y-direction. Finally, the green plane is labeled (001) because it is
shifted 1 unit in the z-direction. For more on Miller Indices, please visit the
link listed in the References Section.
Although Miller Indices does a great job of describing crystals, it doesn't complete
the job. Crystals can also be divided up according to their structure, the three most
common types being FCC (Face Centered Cubic), BCC (Body Centered Cubic), and SC (Simple
Cubic) structures.
Combinations of Symmetry Operations
Crystal Symmetry Groups
References and Links
Gallian, J. (2013). Contemporary abstract algebra. (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Miller Indices Link
Cubic Structures Link
