Atoomroosterpunten

Atoomroosterpunten is a term used in some Dutch-language texts to describe the discrete positions that atoms occupy within a crystal lattice. While not standard in most English-language crystallography, it is synonymous with the concept of lattice points or kristalroosterpunten: the points of an idealized grid that, together with a basis, generate the arrangement of atoms in a crystal.

In crystallography, space is modeled as a regular array of lattice points, defined by a Bravais lattice and a basis of atoms. Each lattice point serves as a potential site for atomic occupancy. The distribution of these points determines the crystal's symmetry, unit cell, and overall structure. Real materials approximate this ideal with thermal vibrations and defects, so atoms oscillate around lattice points and some sites may be vacant or occupied by extra atoms.

Applications and implications: The concept underpins X-ray, neutron, and electron diffraction, which rely on the periodic arrangement of lattice points to produce characteristic patterns. It also informs computational modeling of material properties, such as electronic structure and phonon spectra, where lattice points define the underlying grid for calculations.

Limitations: The lattice-point model is an idealization. Temperature, defects, and disorder break perfect periodicity, and materials often exhibit complex, non-periodic features at defects, surfaces, or interfaces.

See also: Crystal lattice, Lattice point, Bravais lattice, Crystal structure, X-ray diffraction.