MIDTERM EXAM, PHYSICS 5305, Fall, 2009, Dr. Charles W.

Myles
Take H!e E"a!# D$s%r$&'%e(, M)(ay, *+e!&er 2
D,E AT 5PM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9-- NO EXCEPTIONS!
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R$%E# You may use am"&t any resources (library, internet, etc.) to answer the questions.
EXCEPTI3*# You MAY NOT CO%%ABORATE 'IT( ANY OT(ER PERSON- If you have
questions/difficulties, 1)s'l% 4$%h !e, n"t with other students (whether or not they are in this
class!), with people who had this course earlier, with other faculty, with postdocs, or with anyone
else I may have for!otten to list here. You are bound by the TT, C(e 0 S%'(e)% C)('1% not
to violate this! "nyone cau!ht violatin! this will, at a minim)m, receive an #F$ on this e%am!
I*STR,CTI3*S#
P5EASE read all of these before doin! anythin! else!!! &ailure to follow them may lower your !rade!!
6. P5EASE write on ONE SIDE of the paper only!! 'his wastes paper, but it ma(es my !radin! easier!
2. P5EASE do not write on the e%am sheets, there will not be room! $&e "t*er paper!!
As y' 1a) see, !s% 0 %he 7'es%$)s ) %h$s e"a! are 8'al$%a%$+e---
3. P5EASE answer the qualitative 8'es%$)s !riefy, includin! the #H4$ or the #Why$ of each, not
)ust the #Wha%$. *eep your answers to these short + aimed at the main ideas. " &+et,* with
appropriate labels or an equation with a brief comment is often the easiest way to ma(e a point.
*3TE# 9Di&,)&&: , 9De0$)e:, and 9E"2la$): below mean to write ,"mpete, -rammati,ay ,"rre,t,
En-i&* &enten,e&. I don,t want to see a lot of equations! I want to see W3RDS describin! the
physics!
;. P5EASE write neatly. If I cannot read or find your answer, you can-t e%pect me to !ive it the credit it
deserves and you are apt to lose credit.
5. P5EASE put the 8'es%$)s in order and the pa!es in order before turnin! in this e%am!
P%EASE .O%%O' T(ESE SIMP%E DIRECTIONS!!!! T(AN/ YO$!!!
*3TE# "ll questions are about solids with crystal structures which are based on i0ea 3<
($!e)s$)al la%%$1es. =*3TE# A 5 1)e&ti"n& are re2)ire0->
Please s$/) %he s%a%e!e)% &el4 a)( %'r) $% $) 4$%h y'r e"a!#
I ha+e )e$%her /$+e) )r re1e$+e( hel2 ) %h$s e"a!

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6. Crys%al S%r'1%'re
a. .riefly (in a few /n!lish sentences) Define "r E#pain the followin! terms0 6>
.ravais
1attice, 2> .asis, 3> 2rystal 3tructure, ;> Primitive 4nit 2ell, 5> 2onventional 4nit 2ell,
@> 5i!ner3eit6 2ell, A> Primitive 1attice 7ectors, B> Pac(in! &raction, 9> 2oordination
8umber.
&. .riefly Di&,)&& the reasons that a periodic lattice with a fivefold symmetry a%is
cannot e%ist.
1. Define the 9iller indices of a lattice plane. E#pain how they can uniquely define a
set of
crystal planes.
Shr% 8'a)%$%a%$+e 8'es%$)s
'he vectors of the primitive fcc cell connect atoms at the vertices of the fcc cube with the face
centered atoms.
(. 5rite these vectors in the standard 9iller notation and calculate the an!le between
any
two of them.
e. Prove that the volume of the fcc primitive cell is one quarter of the volume of the
conventional cell.
2. Crys%al .$)($)/ .
a. E#pain what is meant by the cohesive ener!y of a solid. Di&,)&& the nature of the
interactions that contribute to the cohesive ener!y of solids.
&. Define the 9adelun! /ner!y in ionic solids. .riefly Di&,)&& the reasons that
calculatin!
this contribution to cohesive ener!ies must be done carefully to avoid obtainin!
mathematically diver!ent results.
.riefly E#pain the types of bondin! (or bindin!) between atoms in crystals which are listed in
parts & to e. &or each, in a few sentences, Di&,)&& the Phys$1al Me1ha)$s!s which are
primarily responsible for the bindin! ener!y in solids where that mechanism is the dominant
one. "lso, state for which cate!ories of solids each interaction is the primary bondin!
mechanism.
1. Ionic .ondin!
(. 2ovalent .ondin!
e. 9etallic .ondin!
0. 7an der 5aals .ondin!
3. Re1$2r1al 5a%%$1e a)( Wa+e D$00ra1%$) 0
a. .riefly (in a few /n!lish sentences) Define "r E#pain the followin! terms0 6>
:eciprocal 1attice, 2> :eciprocal 1attice 7ector, 3> .rillouin ;one, ;> 3tructure &actor,
5> "tomic &orm &actor, @> .ra!!,s 1aw of <iffraction, A> 1aue 2ondition (1aue
/quations), B> /wald 2onstruction.
&. .riefly Di&,)&& the Phys$1s underlyin! .ra//Cs 5a4 0 D$00ra1%$). .riefly
E#pain the
reasons that this law is equivalent to %he 5a'e C)($%$) (or the 1aue /quations).
1. 8ame the three most important (inds of probes used in diffraction e%periments on
crystals.
(H$)%# 3ee p. => of the ?
th
/dition of *ittel,s boo(!). Di&,)&& the essential condition that
the wavelen!th of each probe must satisfy if it is to be useful in understandin! crystal
structure.
Shr% 8'a)%$%a%$+e 8'es%$)s
(. <erive the reciprocal lattice vectors for both the conventional and the primitive
unit cells
of the fcc lattice. 4sin! these, show that the volume of the reciprocal cell of the primitive
lattice is four times that of the conventional lattice.
e. 2alculate the len!th of the @=AAB vector where the 9iller indices are referred to the
fcc
Primitive reciprocal lattice. 4se this result to obtain the separation of the (=AA) planes in
the primitive lattice.
;. 5a%%$1e D$&ra%$)s E 5a%%$1e Dy)a!$1s 0
a. .riefly (in a few /n!lish sentences) Define "r E#pain the followin! terms0 6>
1attice <ynamics, 2> Carmonic "ppro%imation, 3> 8ormal 9odes, ;> 1on!itudinal
9odes, 5> 'ransverse 9odes, @> <ispersion :elations, A> Phonon, B> /lastic 2onstants, 9>
"nharmonic /ffects.
&. Di&,)&& the qualitative differences in the behavior (as a function of wave vector) of
acoustic and optic phonon modes.
1. 5hat characteristics must the crystal structure of a solid have in order for optic
modes to
e%istD Is it possible for the phonon dispersion relations of a solid to contain acoustic
modes onlyD If so, what characteristics are required for the crystal structureD
(. S+et,* the phonon dispersion curves for an elemental solid such as S$. (S$ has the
diamond crystal structure).
e. Di&,)&& how your s(etch in part & would be different for a compound solid such
as FaAs.
(FaAs has the 6incblende crystal structure). Di&,)&& the reasons these curves are so
different, or so similar for S$ + FaAs.
5. 5a%%$1e D$&ra%$)s E Ther!al Pr2er%$es 0
a. .riefly (in a few /n!lish sentences) Define "r E#pain the followin! terms0 6>
Planc( (.ose/instein) <istribution, 2> Phonon (7ibrational) <ensity of 3tates (<ensity of
9odes), 3> Phonon (1attice) Ceat 2apacity, ;> /instein &requency (+ /instein
'emperature), 5> <ebye &requency (+ <ebye 'emperature), @> 'hermal /%pansion
2oefficient, A> Ceat 2urrent, B> 'hermal 2onductivity, 9> Phonon #Eas$, 60> 4m(lapp
Processes.
Cistorically, two early models of the phonon density of states used to try to e%plain the observed low
temperature behavior of the lattice heat capacity CD=T> were the /instein 9odel and the <ebye 9odel.
It is interestin! that, even thou!h modern computers allow the (in principle) e%act numerical calculation
of CD=T>, both models are still sometimes useful today to help to understand the Phys$1s behind this
low temperature behavior of CD=T>.
&. .riefly Di&,)&& the Phys$1s underlyin! the /instein 9odel. 5hat is the primary
assumption that this model ma(es about the behavior of the phonon frequencies as a
function of wave vectorD <o you thin( that this assumption would ever be a reasonable
first appro%imation (at least qualitatively) for any of the phonon modes in a solidD If so, for
which (inds of phonon modes mi!ht it be usefulD
1. .riefly Di&,)&& the Phys$1s underlyin! the <ebye 9odel. 5hat is the primary assumption
that this model ma(es about the behavior of the phonon frequencies as a function of wave vectorD
.riefly contrast this with the assumption made in the /instein 9odel. <o you thin( that this
assumption would ever be a reasonable first appro%imation (at least qualitatively) for any of the
phonon modes in a solidD If so, for which (inds of phonon modes mi!ht it be usefulD
In 2h. F, it was stated that the harmonic appro%imation to lattice dynamics cannot be used to calculate
either the thermal e%pansion coefficient or the thermal conductivity, but that anharmonic effects are
needed to calculate either of these properties.
(. .riefly Di&,)&& the Phys$1s that underlies the statement that the harmonic appro%imation
cannot be used to calculate these properties. If the harmonic appro%imation is used to calculate
them, why is it obvious that the results of this calculation aren,t reasonableD 'he calculation of the
thermal conductivity may be viewed, as in 2h. F, in terms of processes involvin! phononphonon
scatterin!. Is such scatterin! even possible in the harmonic appro%imationD 5hy or why notD