Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the band structure of silicene, focusing on the mathematical modeling involving atomic orbitals of silicon, matrix representations, and calculations related to hopping parameters and phase factors. Participants explore various aspects of the theoretical framework and computational methods, particularly in the context of MATLAB programming.
Discussion Character
- Technical explanation
- Mathematical reasoning
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant describes the Hamiltonian matrix for silicon's atomic orbitals and seeks assistance in calculating the cosine of direction.
- Several participants request additional documentation, such as PDFs, to better understand the problem.
- Some participants clarify that the variables l, m, n correspond to the Cartesian coordinates of the distance vector between atoms.
- Another participant suggests using MATLAB to plot the band structure by forming block matrices and incorporating phase factors for hopping parameters.
- There is a discussion about the calculation of phase factors, with one participant stating it involves the product of phase factors of the orbitals involved.
- One participant provides detailed MATLAB code snippets for calculating hopping parameters and constructing the Hamiltonian matrix.
- Concerns are raised about the validity of direction cosines derived from inner products, with a participant expressing difficulty in constructing the Hamiltonian matrix due to issues with the cosine values.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express various viewpoints on the calculations and methods discussed, with no clear consensus reached on the validity of the direction cosines or the construction of the Hamiltonian matrix.
Contextual Notes
Participants highlight limitations in their calculations, particularly regarding the assumptions made about direction cosines and the inner product of vectors, which remain unresolved.