From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
In
solid state physics, a
Wigner-Seitz cell is a
primitive lattice cell of a
crystalline lattice.
Defining the cell
The cell may be chosen by first
picking a
lattice point. Then, lines are
drawn to all nearby (closest)
lattice points. At the midpoint of
each line, another line is drawn
normal to each of the first set of
lines.
In the case of a
three-dimensional lattice, a
perpendicular plane is drawn at
the midpoint of the lines between
the lattice points. By using this
method, the smallest area (or
volume) is enclosed in this way
and is called the Wigner-Seitz
primitive cell. All area (or
space) within the lattice will be
filled by this type of primitive
cells and will leave no gaps.
General mathematical concept
The general mathematical
concept embodied in a Wigner-Seitz
cell is more commonly called a
Voronoi cell. The primitive
cell in the
reciprocal lattice in
momentum space is called the
Brillouin zone.
