Twin index

Indice de macle (Fr). Indice di geminazione (It)

Twin index

A twin operation overlaps both the direct and reciprocal lattices of the individuals that form a twin; consequently, the nodes of the individual lattices are overlapped (restored) to some extent (twinning (effects of)). The reciprocal n of the fraction 1/n of (quasi)restored nodes is called twin index

Let (hkl) be the twin plane and [uvw] the lattice direction (quasi)-normal to it. alternatively, let [uvw] be the twin axis and (hkl) the lattice plane (quasi)-normal to it. The twin index is then:

n = X/f, X = |uh+vk+wl|

where f depends on the lattice type and on the parities of X, h, k, l, u, v and w, as in the following table

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Lattice type	condition on hkl	condition on uvw	condition on X	n
P	none	none	X odd	n = X
			X even	n = X/2
C	h+k odd	none	none	n = X
	h+k even	u+v and w not both even	X odd	n = X
			X even	n = X/2
		u+v and w both even	X/2 odd	n = X/2
			X/2 even	n = X/4
B	h+l odd	none	none	n = X
	h+l even	u+w and v not both even	X odd	n = X
			X even	n = X/2
		u+w and v both even	X/2 odd	n = X/2
			X/2 even	n = X/4
A	k+l odd	none	none	n = X
	k+l even	v+w and u not both even	X odd	n = X
			X even	n = X/2
		v+w and u both even	X/2 odd	n = X/2
			X/2 even	n = X/4
I	h+k+l odd	none	none	n = X
	h+k+l even	u, v and w not all odd	X odd	n = X
			X even	n = X/2
		u, v and w all odd	X/2 odd	n = X/2
			X/2 even	n = X/4
F	none	u+v+w odd	none	n = X
	h, k, l not all odd	u+v+w even	X odd	n = X
			X even	n = X/2
	h, k, l all odd	u+v+w even	X/2 odd	n = X/2
			X/2 even	n = X/4

References

• Chapter 1.3 of International Tables of Crystallography, Volume C
• Chapter 3.3 of International Tables of Crystallography, Volume D
• Chapter 3.1.9 in International Tables for X-Ray Crystallography (1959)

History

• Friedel, G. (1904). Étude sur les groupements cristallins. Extrait du Bullettin de la Société de l'Industrie minérale, Quatrième série, Tomes III e IV. Saint-Étienne, Société de l'imprimerie Thèolier J. Thomas et C., 485 pp.
• Friedel, G. (1926). Leçons de Cristallographie. Berger-Levrault, Nancy, Paris, Strasbourg, XIX+602 pp.