New concepts of the solid state

Summary

The postulates on which the Debye theory of the specific heat of solids and the Born crystal dynamics are respectively based have been critically examined and shown to be theoretically untenable. Since a crystal is a three-dimensionally periodic grouping of similar oscillators coupled together, it follows that the modes of vibrations possible would be also space-periodic, the geometric modes being determined by the characters of the atomic space-grouping in the crystal. They would further form a finite and enumerable set of monochromatic frequencies. The spectroscopic, X-ray and thermal behaviours of a crystal would on these views be radically different from those consequent on the Debye and Born theories. The experimental facts are found to contradict the conclusions of these theories and on the other hand, to be in full accord with the new concepts.