Crystal momentum
Quantum-mechanical vector property in solid-state physics / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In solid-state physics, crystal momentum or quasimomentum is a momentum-like vector associated with electrons in a crystal lattice.[2] It is defined by the associated wave vectors of this lattice, according to
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Quasimomentum.gif/320px-Quasimomentum.gif)
(where is the reduced Planck constant).[3]: 139
Frequently[clarification needed], crystal momentum is conserved like mechanical momentum, making it useful to physicists and materials scientists as an analytical tool.