Dynamics of Atoms in Crystals

Abstract

The physical properties of a solid can be roughly divided into those that are determined by the electrons and those that relate to the movement of the atoms about their equilibrium positions. In the latter category are, for example, the sound velocity and also the thermal properties: specific heat, thermal expansion, and – for semiconductors and insulators – the thermal conductivity. The hardness of a material is also determined, in principle, by the movement of the atoms about their equilibrium positions. Here, however, structural defects generally play a decisive role.