Die Struktur der Oberfläche fester Körper

Assuming the row of particles in a lattice to extend from n = – ∞ to n = 0, with all particles n = 1, 2, 3, …︁ missing, the force is discussed to be added in order to keep the periodicity of structure near the end of the row. Forces that would make up exactly for the forces that the missing particles would produce on the end of the row must be provided for. If the total force is differently distributed between the particles at the end of the row, different things may happen, in that a perturbation appears near the end of the lattice or even along the whole lattice. This example corresponds to the problem of surface structure and surface tension for solids. The perturbation of the lattice inside a surface layer results in additional forces, the resultant of which is known as surface tension.