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Eigensymmetry

  • Page ID
    18834
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    The eigensymmetry, or inherent symmetry, of a crystal is the point group or space group of a crystal, irrespective of its orientation and location in space. For instance, all individuals of a twinned crystal have the same (or the enantiomorphic) eigensymmetry but may exhibit different orientations. The orientations of each of two twin components are related by a twin operation which cannot be part of the eigensymmetry.

    In morphology, the eigensymmetry is the full symmetry of a crystalline form, considered as a polyhedron by itself. The eigensymmetry point group is either the generating point group itself or a supergroup of it.


    Eigensymmetry is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Online Dictionary of Crystallography.

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