Crystal Structure of Scandium Trifluoride (IMAGE)

California Institute of Technology

Crystal Structure of Scandium Trifluoride

Caption

The crystal structure of ScF3. Scandium atoms are green while fluorine atoms are white. You can imagine the bonds connecting the atoms as springs. In the so-called quartic oscillations of ScF3, a fluorine atom (white) vibrates more in the vertical direction, as seen in this diagram. With each shake, the fluorine pulls the two scandium atoms (green) together.

Credit

Modified from fig. 1 of C. Li et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 195504 (2011). Copyright APS

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