Q:How to interpret band structure?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interpretation of band structures in solid-state physics, specifically focusing on how to analyze dispersion curves of energy E(k) and phonon dispersion relations. Participants seek guidance on identifying the characteristics of these curves and performing symmetry analysis, as well as recommendations for relevant literature.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant asks how to determine the origin of dispersion curves in relation to specific bonding types (px/py/pz sigma/pi) and emphasizes the importance of this in electronic structure analysis.
  • Another participant suggests that the curvature of the band can indicate the effective mass of the particle.
  • A participant notes the complexity of extracting information from band diagrams and mentions various questions that arise, such as the differences in valence bands among different elements and the relationship between crystal directions and orbital orientations.
  • One contributor recommends starting with the book "Ashcroft & Mermin" and suggests that spectroscopy texts may provide valuable insights into band structure analysis.
  • Another participant highlights the advantages of using Density of States (DOS) and Projected Density of States (PDOS) for analysis, particularly when utilizing ab initio software like Abinit or Siesta.
  • A participant references a book by a professor and shares their experience tutoring students familiar with the material, indicating its quality.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various viewpoints and suggestions without reaching a consensus. Multiple competing approaches to analyzing band structures and phonon dispersion relations are discussed, reflecting the complexity of the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the need for a solid understanding of spectroscopy and the intricacies involved in band structure analysis, indicating that there may be missing assumptions or unresolved steps in their discussions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students and researchers in solid-state physics, materials science, and chemistry who are interested in band structure analysis and its implications for electronic properties.

leoant
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Dear all:
I've been tortrued by this problem for a long time, please help me as possible as you can.
1. I want to know, after one get a dispersion picture of E(k), how to judge one of those curves stems from, say, px/py/pz sigma/pi (bond?)? That is to say, how to judge the curve's charater, which is very important in electronic structure analysis.
2. How to perform symmetry ananlysis in dispersion curves of E(k) and omega(k)-phonon dispersion relation? For phonon dispersion, how to judge their mode, for instance, A1g, E2g?
please refer me to some books or papers or links. Thank you in advance.

Bests
 
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The book 'A chemist's view of bonding in extended structures' by Roald Hoffmann is a great read on this. I have it and i can really recommend it.
It also explains the link between the slope of the energy curves versus the DOS

marlon
 
The curvature (second derivative) of the band is a measure of the effective mass of the particle.
 
leoant said:
Dear all:
I've been tortrued by this problem for a long time, please help me as possible as you can.
1. I want to know, after one get a dispersion picture of E(k), how to judge one of those curves stems from, say, px/py/pz sigma/pi (bond?)? That is to say, how to judge the curve's charater, which is very important in electronic structure analysis.
2. How to perform symmetry ananlysis in dispersion curves of E(k) and omega(k)-phonon dispersion relation? For phonon dispersion, how to judge their mode, for instance, A1g, E2g?
please refer me to some books or papers or links. Thank you in advance.

Bests
This is an entirely non-trivial question - one that I'm not qualified to answer authoritatively. There's a whole host of information contained in a band diagram (Why do alkali and alkaline Earth metal valence bands look so much like free electrons bands when transition metal valence bands do not ? Why then, is the same also true for Zn and Cd ? How do I extract information about the orientations of crystal directions with respect to orbital directions from the varying degeneracies along different crystal directions ? Where is the effective mass high, low, positive or negative ? What are the optical properties I can expect for a material, given its band structure ?), and extracting good portion of it is a skill that takes work to hone (one, I do not claim to possess).

My starting point was Ashcroft & Mermin. But to do a good job, you will need a good spectroscopy text. This, I believe, is the best way to go, and as far as I'm aware, the chemists do a better job of documenting this (especially, when it comes to "vibration spectra" ) than the physicists. There are very good spectroscopy/analytical chemistry texts that could help.

http://www.spectroscopynow.com/Spy/basehtml/SpyH/1,,6-5-3-0-1-book_list-0-0,00.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i know the prof thit wrote this book. I have tutored some of his tudents here in Ghent, Belgium.

http://www.spectroscopynow.com/Spy/basehtml/SpyH/1,1181,6-5-3-0-1-book_detail-0-141,00.html

very good stuff
marlon
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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