Diffraction Lecture 11: Crystallographic Symmetry and Physical Properties

Space groups can be divided into those that have inversion centers and those that do not. Those that are noncentrosymmetric (lack an inversion center) can display a variety of properties that centrosymmetric crystals cannot, including piezoelectricity, second harmonic generation, pyroelectricity, and optical activity. In this lecture we explore the link between these properties and the point group symmetry of a crystal.