Niobium atom lattice structure and its behavior

[calvinjhfeng]

Hi,
I am trying to understand how do cluster of niobium atoms behave when I apply force to compress/stretch them.
Niobium has a cubic lattice structure, 8 atoms on each corner and 1 in the center. So my question is let's say I have 2 of these cubes connected, and composed of 14 atoms.

In X-Y Plane, approximately like this
(6 atoms aren't shown below, they lie inside the page)
*-----*-----*
|--*--|--*--|
*-----*-----*
x x1
x: the distance between the atoms
x1: the distance between the atoms
x = x1 for now without any external force.

What if I apply force on the 2 right most atoms and pull them to the right side. Is it going to work like a spring under Hooke's Law?
I know the distance x and x1 will increase, however, are they going to increase the same amount or x1 will have a larger increase while x has a smaller increase?

Your input is very much appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[BigJDubs]

Yes, the two cubes will behave like a spring under Hooke's Law. The atoms in each cube will experience a repulsive force due to the electron-electron interactions between them, and the distance between the two cubes will increase as they are pulled apart. In general, the amount of increase in the distance between the atoms within each cube (x and x1) will be dependent on the magnitude of the applied force, but it is likely that x1 will experience a larger increase than x. This is because the atoms in the second cube are farther away from the point of force application, and thus will be more strongly affected by the force.