MaThCryst forthcoming activities

Summer School, June 2023, Nancy (France)


Eleventh basic and second advanced training course on symmetry and group theory, July 2023, Tsukuba (Japan)





MaThCryst recent activities

Tenth training course on symmetry and group theory, August 2022, Tsukuba (Japan)


2022 Spring Festival Crystallographic School and Workshop on Crystal-field Applications February 2022, Berijing (China)


Crystallography Online: Workshop on the use and applications of the structural and magnetic tools of the Bilbao Crystallographic Server January 2022, Leioa (Spain)


Mathematics and Computer Science for Materials Innovation, September 2021, online


Ninth training course on symmetry and group theory, September 2021, Tsukuba (Japan)


2021 SIAM Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Materials Science, May 2021, Bilbao (Spain)


AMS Sectional Meeting, November 2019, Gainesville, FL (USA)


ECM32 Satellite, August 2019, Wien (Austria)


Eighth training course on symmetry and group theory, July 2019, Tsukuba (Japan)


Second Shanghai International Crystallographic School, July 2019, Shanghai (China)


Summer School, June 2019, Nancy (France)


Sixth MaThCryst School in Latin America, November 2018, Bogotà (Colombia)


More...


International Autumn School on Fundamental and Electron Crystallography (IASFEC)

8-13 October 2017, Sofia, Bulgaria

Invited lecturers

Organizing Committee

Necessary background (assumed achieved by all participants)

Scientific Program

Day 1: 08 October 2017, Sunday
MorningArrival, registration and accommodation
Lecturer: Prof. Mois Aroyo
13:30 - 18:00Basic matrix algebra (matrix multiplication, calculation of determinant and trace)
Day 2: 09 October 2017, Monday
8:45 - 9:00Opening of the School (Dr. Daniela Karashanova)
Lecturers: Prof. Mois Aroyo, Prof. Massimo Nespolo
9:00 - 11:00
  • Introduction to group theory: the notion of symmetry and symmetry groups.
  • Lattices and unit cells. Crystallographic symmetry in two dimensions
11:00 - 11:30Coffee break
11:30 - 13:30Crystallographic symmetry in three dimensions: Bravais lattices, point groups, holohedries and merohedries, point groups; Hermann-Mauguin symbols for point groups.
13:30 - 15:00Lunch
15:00 - 16:30
  • Lattice planes, Miller indices and Bravais-Miller indices. Forms, zones and zone axes.
  • Choice of the zones to look at in ED for the different crystal systems.
  • Introduction to the stereographic projection and exercises on the stereographic projection to build crystallographic point groups.
16:30 - 17:00Coffee break
17:00 - 18:45Subgroups of point groups
19:00 - 20:00Dinner
Day 3: 10 October 2017, Tuesday
Lecturers: Prof. Massimo Nespolo, Prof. Mois Aroyo
9:00 - 11:00Metric tensor and crystallographic calculations: norm of a vector, angle between vectors, change of basis.
11:00 - 11:30Coffee break
11:30 - 13:30
  • Symmetry operations with a screw or glide component.
  • From point to space groups.
13:30 - 15:00Lunch
15:00 - 16:30
  • Examples and exercises on space group diagrams.
  • Projections of space groups and their two-dimensional symmetry.
16:30 - 17:00Coffee break
17:00 - 18:45
  • Group-subgroup relations. Klassengleiche, translationengleiche, isomorphic subgroups. Change of basis from group to subgroup. Definition and basic features of parent and daughter phases.
  • Integral, zonal and serial diffraction conditions.
  • Diffraction symbol and possible space groups corresponding to it.
19:00 - 20:00Dinner
Day 4: 11 October 2017, Wednesday
Lecturers and guidance: Dr. Daniela Karashanova, Dr. Diana Nihtianova, Dr. Bogdan Ranguelov, Dr. Mihail Tarassov
9:00 - 09:30Distribution of the participants in working groups at the conference hall of the hotel.
09:30TEM and SEM laboratories visit in working groups at rotational principle.
Half-day
  • Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) laboratory visit
  • basics of TEM
  • sample preparation for TEM
  • experimental SAED and CBED patterns caption
Half-day
  • Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) ? laboratory visit
  • basics of SEM
  • sample preparation for SEM
  • Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD)
11:00 - 11:30Coffee break and exchange of groups at conference hall of IOMT
11:00 - 11:30Coffee break and Poster session at conference hall of the hotel
13:30 - 14:45Lunch
14:45 - 15:00School's photo in front of the main entrance
15:00 - 17:00Pster session
19:00 - 20:00Dinner
Day 5: 12 October 2017, Thursday
Lecturer: Prof. Joke Hadermann
9:30 - 11:00
  • Indexing of an ED pattern.
  • Calculation / simulation of a SAED pattern for a given compound (from cell parameters and zone axis).
  • Reconstruction of the unit cell from SAED along different zone axes.
11:00 - 11:30Coffee break
11:30 - 13:30
  • Connection of the symmetry in real space to that of the ED pattern.
  • Analysis of the information one can obtain from CBED.
13:30 - 15:00Lunch
15:00 - 16:30
  • Differences between the symmetry information from SAED (addition of inversion centre, can't distinguish m or 2) and CBED (can distinguish all point symmetry elements).
  • Exercises on experimental SAED and CBED patterns
16:30 - 17:00Coffee break
17:00 - 18:30
  • From superlattices (subcells) in ED to sublattices (supercells) in real space.
  • Determination of point groups and space groups from ED patterns.
19:00 - 19:30Transport to Hadjidraganov's Houses Restaurant
19:00 - 20:00Official dinner
Day 6: 13 October 2017, Friday
Lecturer: Prof. Massimo Nespolo
9:30 - 11:00
  • Domains (twins, antiphase domains); effect of twinning on the diffraction pattern.
  • Calculation of twin index, obliquity, unit cell of the twin lattice.
  • Splitting of reflections following a phase transition to a lower lattice system.
11:00 - 11:30Coffee break
Lecturer: Prof. Joke Hadermann
11:30 - 13:30
  • Effect of the presence of symmetry operations with a glide component on ED patterns, effect of screw axes, Gjonnes-Moodie lines
  • Determination of space groups from ED patterns
13:30 - 15:00Lunch
15:00 - 16:30
  • Dynamical effects of the (multiple diffractions) and their effect on the reflection conditions and expected equivalence of reflections.
  • Partial reconstruction of the space group symmetry from atomic resolution images (projection of space groups, effects of misorientation).
16:30 - 17:00Coffee break
17:00 - 18:30
  • Short introduction on the possibilities of extracting and using the reflections on ED patterns in a quantitative manner to solve structures ab initio and to refine structures.
  • Exercises on the determination of space group from electron diffraction patterns.
18:30 - 18:45Concluding remarks (Dr. Daniela Karashanova)
19:00 - 21:00Farewell dinner

More details are available at the local website.

Didactic material

See also the didactic material page

Photo gallery

A photo gallery is available shortly from the IUCr website.


The Organizers of the International Autumn School on Fundamental and Electron Crystallography have observed the basic policy of non-discrimination and affirms the right and freedom of scientists to associate in international scientific activity without regard to such factors as citizenship, religion, creed, political stance, ethnic origin, race, colour, language, age or sex, in accordance with the Statutes of the International Council for Science. At this school no barrier existed which would have prevented the participation of bona fide scientists.