The wavefunctions of an electron moving in a perfectly periodic potential, such as that of a crystal lattice, take the form of a plane wave modulated by a function with the same periodicity as the lattice. Proved by Felix Bloch, it is the foundational theorem of the electronic band theory of solids.
Facts
StatementBloch's theorem states that solutions of the Schrodinger equation in a periodic potential can always be written as plane waves modulated by functions with the same periodicity as the potential, describing how electrons behave in crystalline solids. 1 Proof YearThe article's own History section dates the closely related Bloch-state concept to 1928; the lead section's direct claim about the theorem itself names 1929, used here. Connections
Sources
1. Bloch's Theorem (Solid-State Physics) (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroductionQuote, Introduction
The theorem is named after the Swiss physicist Felix Bloch, who discovered the theorem in 1929.
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