Let Λ be a Bravais lattice with basis vectors a1,a2,a3. Define the reciprocal lattice Λ∗ and write down basis vectors b1,b2,b3 for Λ∗ in terms of the basis for Λ.
A finite crystal consists of identical atoms at sites of Λ given by
ℓ=n1a1+n2a2+n3a3 with 0⩽ni<Ni
A particle of mass m scatters off the crystal; its wavevector is k before scattering and k′ after scattering, with ∣k∣=∣k′∣. Show that the scattering amplitude in the Born approximation has the form
−2πℏ2mΔ(q)U~(q),q=k′−k
where U(x) is the potential due to a single atom at the origin and Δ(q) depends on the crystal structure. [You may assume that in the Born approximation the amplitude for scattering off a potential V(x) is −(m/2πℏ2)V~(q) where tilde denotes the Fourier transform.]
Derive an expression for ∣Δ(q)∣ that is valid when e−iq⋅ai=1. Show also that when q is a reciprocal lattice vector ∣Δ(q)∣ is equal to the total number of atoms in the crystal. Comment briefly on the significance of these results.
Now suppose that Λ is a face-centred-cubic lattice:
a1=2a(y^+z^),a2=2a(z^+x^),a3=2a(x^+y^)
where a is a constant. Show that for a particle incident with ∣k∣>2π/a, enhanced scattering is possible for at least two values of the scattering angle, θ1 and θ2, related by