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In different fields, for example semiconductor physics, you assume a rigid lattice of atoms exists (at least in my books) and this structure basically sets the framework for different interactions (ex bandgap interactions, electron mobility, etc).

What isn't talked about is why/how we can assume that rigid structure and neglect the impact of electron interactions on it.

Basically I'm trying to understand why we can take for granted that the lattice will persist even after applying voltages, manipulating bandgap via doping, etc.

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  • $\begingroup$ Well one rapidly gets to things like phonon modes in solids. Also note all the same questions apply to metals and insulators. $\endgroup$
    – Jon Custer
    Commented Aug 2 at 19:08

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What you are looking for is the Born-Oppenheimer Born-Oppenheimer approximation, which is exactly what is done when solving for the electronic and nuclear parts of the Schrödinger equation separately. You can read more about assumptions and the approximations in the Wikipedia article, but the core is that the nuclei are far heavier than the electrons and therefore move more slowly.

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