Solid-state physics studies how macroscopic properties of solids (mechanical, electrical, optical, etc.) result from their microscopic structure. It usually deals with the scale where quantum properties of the particles are substantial.
Questions tagged [solid-state-physics]
3502 questions
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Reciprocal Lattices
Is there an easy way to understand and/or visualize the reciprocal lattice of a two or three dimensional solid-state lattice? What is the significance of the reciprocal lattice, and why do solid state physicists express things in terms of the…
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How can the Hall effect ever show positive charge carriers?
The Hall effect can be used to determine the sign of the charge carriers, as a positive particle drifting along the wire and a negative particle drifting the other direction get deflected the same (as $F = q \vec{v}\times\vec{B} = (-q)…
Kasper
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Why thin metal foil does not break like a metal stick?
Consider a metal stick, say iron or aluminum. From the experience, even if it's resilient, bend it forward and backward a couple of times, it would be broken.
However, consider a thin iron foil or thin aluminum foil. From the experience, we know…
ShoutOutAndCalculate
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What is the state of matter of a (solid) yogurt?
Consider a solid yogurt. Can we assign a specific state of matter to it?
I mean, it behaves like solid. However, if we "mix" it with a spoon, it becomes liquid, or at least in the usual sense. It is also quite plastic, which complicates.
My current…
Jorge Leitao
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Positrons versus holes as positive charge carriers
From Wikipedia: [The Dirac sea is a theoretical model of the vacuum as an infinite sea of particles with negative energy. It was first postulated by the British physicist Paul Dirac in 1930 to explain the anomalous negative-energy quantum states…
Gerard
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Quantum numbers and the band structure of solids
I got a question concerning the band strucutre of solids.
The reference I'm using is the book on solid state physics by Ashcroft/Mermin.
My problem is that I don't completely understand the reason why there exists a
band-index n. On the one hand…
Solidz
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Thermal expansion and conductivity
When thinking about how the lattice constant of silicon can be given up to eight decimal places without a remark for the temperature I realized that, it seems
most insulators and semiconductors seem to expand less than metals when exposed to…
Hagadol
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Relation between density and refractive index of medium
Is there any relation between Refractive index and density of a material? It is not found to be proportional in my experimental results. Is there any equation to relate these parameters?
Baasuri
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1 answer
Two-dimensional electron gas
I'm studying solid-state physics and it says that if the solid is thin enough we can view it as a 2D solid but it doesn't say how thin it should be that the electrons are restricted in one dimension.
Does anyone know how thin a solid should be that…
Chiray
- 155
5
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2 answers
Scattering of phonons and electrons within solids
I got a question concerning the scattering of phonons and electrons.
I read an introductory explanation to this process that is somehow
not very satisfactory. It goes like this:
Let $\psi_{k}$ and $\psi_{k'}$ be Bloch-waves within a solid.
We…
Solidz
- 153
5
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1 answer
Van Hove singularity at saddle point
This is another one of those examples where textbooks always just gloss over it with the remark that it "can be done" and then just state the result.
I want to compute the general form of a van Hove singularity if the dispersion relation expanded to…
Lagerbaer
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What balances the electron degeneracy pressure in a solid crystal?
In a solid crystal, for example, copper, if we treat the electrons as a free electron gas we can obtain that the pressure exerted by the gas at absolute zero is about $10^5$ atm or $10$ GPa. What balances the electron degeneracy pressure in a…
Yuan Fang
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1 answer
Why the centered rectangualr lattice is not considered a special case of an oblique lattice
From Wikipedia, there are 5 different kinds of lattice in 2 dimension:
But I am wondering how the third type (the centered rectangular) is different
from the first kind (the oblique lattice). The unit cell is the same in both,
except that we…
taper
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Why are bandstructures plotted only along certain symmetry points?
Why is it that bandstructures are usually represented along certain symmetry points ? What determines these symmetry points ?
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2 answers
Proof that all primitive cells have the same size
A primitive cell of a crystal lattice is a set $A$ such that two copies of $A$ which are translated by a lattice vector do not overlap and such that $A$ tiles the entire crystal.
I have read (for example in the german “Festkörperphysik” by Gross,…
user3493525
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