Sciences de la matière - Collection rouge Grenoble Sciences
// Symmetry and Physical Properties of Crystals de Cécile Malgrange, Christian Ricolleau et Michel Schlenker
Crystals are everywhere, from natural crystals (minerals) through the semiconductors and magnetic materials in electronic devices and computers or the piezoelectric resonators at the heart of our quartz watches, to electro-optical devices. Understanding them in depth is essential both for pure research and for their applications.
This book provides a clear, thorough presentation of their symmetry, both at the microscopic space-group level and the macroscopic point-group level. The implications of the symmetry of crystals for their physical properties are then presented, together with their mathematical description in terms of tensors. The conditions on the symmetry of a crystal for a given property to exist then become clear, as does the symmetry of the property. The geometrical representation of tensor quantities or properties is presented, and its use in determining important relationships emphasized.
An original feature of this book is that most chapters include exercises with complete solutions. This allows readers to test and improve their understanding of the material.