Condensed Matter Physics (MPHYCC11) (2019)

Assignment #1b

1. What is Bragg’s law? Why zeroth order diffraction is not considered in x-ray diffraction?
2. What is Ewald construction? How does it help to interpret x-ray diffraction photographs?
3. Deduce the Bragg’s law in vector form and give the meaning of each term.
4. Obtained the Laue’s equations for x-ray diffraction by crystals. Show that these are
consistent with the Bragg’s law.
5. What is the reciprocal lattice and why it is named so? Derive the relationships for the
primitive translation vectors of the reciprocal lattice in terms of those of the direct lattice.
6. What are Brillouin zones? Discuss the construction of the first two Brillouin zones for a 2d
hexagonal lattice.
7. Describe the powder, rotating crystal and Laue’s methods for diffraction of x-rays. Discuss
the importance and limitation of each method.
8. What is atomic form (scattering) factor? Derive the general expression for the atomic
scattering factor using spherical polar coordinates.
9. What is geometrical structure factor? Calculated the total scattering amplitude, F(hkl), for
BCC structure and explain the fact that the (100) reflection line vanishes for metallic sodium
but not for CsCl, both having the BCC structure.
10. Calculated the total scattering amplitude, F(hkl), for NaCl. Will KCl produce same
diffraction pattern? Explain.
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11. Draw a ( ̅ ) plane in a cubic unit cell. Show all <111> directions that lie on this plane and
give the Miller indices of each direction.
12. Prove that c/a ratio for an ideal hexagonal close pack (hcp) structure is 1.633.
13. Calculate the distance between two atoms of a basis of the diamond structure, if the lattice
constant of the structure is 7Å.
14. Copper (FCC) has a lattice parameter of 3.51Å. The first order Bragg’s reflection from (311)
planes appears at an angle of 21.7o. Determine the wavelength of x-ray.
15. The Bragg’s angle for (220) reflection from nickel (FCC) is 42.4o when x-rays of wavelength
1.54 are employed in a diffraction experiment. Determine the lattice parameter of nickel.
16. A crystal reflects monochromatic x-ray strongly when the Bragg’s glancing angle for a first
order reflection if 15°. What are the glancing angles for the second and third order reflections
of the same type?
17. A powder pattern is obtained from an FCC crystal having lattice parameter of 6.52Å using x-
rays of wavelength 1.79Å. Determine the lowest and highest reflections possible.
18. The primitive translation vectors of a hexagonal space lattice may be taken as
√ √
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) Determine the primitive translation
vectors of the reciprocal lattice. Show that the lattice is its own reciprocal but with a rotation
of axes.
19. Find out reciprocal lattice vectors for a space lattice defined by the following primitive
translation vectors; also find
out the volume of the primitive cell.
20. A two dimensional lattice has the basis vectors; find the reciprocal
lattice vectors.