Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/ii/paper-3/34b/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 3 34B a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A Bravais lattice is the integer span of three linearly independent primitive vectors. Its reciprocal lattice consists of vectors satisfying for every lattice vector .
Translations by lattice vectors commute with the Hamiltonian. Their simultaneous eigenvalues have the form , so an energy eigenfunction may be chosen withThus with lattice-periodic , which is Bloch theorem. Wavevectors differing by a reciprocal-lattice vector describe the same translation character, and the Brillouin zone is a fundamental Wigner-Seitz cell of the reciprocal lattice.
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