Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-condensed-matter-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2019/1/b/solution
Past exam of the condensed matter physics course of the University of Oxford 2019 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Put . DefineThe scalar triple product gives . Consequently every integer combination satisfiesThis proves that the proposed vectors generate points in the reciprocal lattice, but primitiveness also requires the converse. Let satisfy the exponential condition for every lattice vector, and in particular for . ThenSince the form a basis of three-dimensional space, the vector has the same dot products with each as . Their difference is orthogonal to three independent vectors and is zero. Henceand no additional reciprocal lattice vectors lie outside that integer span. Thus the are primitive, not merely three possible reciprocal translations.
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