Wigner–Seitz cell

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The Wigner–Seitz cell is a primitive region of space in a crystal lattice that contains all points closer to a given lattice point than to any other, serving as a fundamental building block in solid-state physics and crystallography.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf concept in crystallography
concept in solid-state physics
geometric construction
primitive cell
appliesTo Bravais lattices NERFINISHED
three-dimensional lattices
two-dimensional lattices
belongsToDomain condensed matter physics
theoretical crystallography
constructionMethod Voronoi decomposition of a Bravais lattice
draw lines to all neighboring lattice points and construct perpendicular bisecting planes or lines
definedAs region of space closer to a given lattice point than to any other lattice point
equivalentTo Voronoi cell of a lattice point
forLatticeType body-centered cubic lattice
face-centered cubic lattice
hexagonal close-packed lattice
simple cubic lattice
hasDimensionality same as the dimensionality of the lattice
hasProperty contains exactly one lattice point per cell on average
convex polygon in two dimensions
convex polyhedron in three dimensions
fills space without gaps or overlaps when translated by all lattice vectors
unique for a given lattice point and metric
volume equals primitive cell volume
hasShapeForLatticeType body-centered cubic lattice: truncated octahedron
face-centered cubic lattice: rhombic dodecahedron
hexagonal close-packed lattice: hexagonal prism with additional facets
simple cubic lattice: cube centered on a lattice point
mathematicalNature Dirichlet domain of a lattice point
namedAfter Eugene Wigner NERFINISHED
Frederick Seitz NERFINISHED
partOf Bravais lattice description
relatedConcept Brillouin zone NERFINISHED
Voronoi diagram NERFINISHED
primitive cell
reciprocal lattice
shapeDependsOn lattice parameters
lattice symmetry
tilingProperty forms a space-filling tessellation when repeated over all lattice points
usedFor analyzing electronic band structure
defining basis of atoms in a crystal
defining first Brillouin zone in reciprocal space
describing local environment of lattice sites
simplifying integrals over the crystal volume
usedIn crystallography
materials science
solid-state physics

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Wigner Jenő Pál knownFor Wigner–Seitz cell