Why do quartz crystals vibrate

This can have many effects,depending on the material, but for most materials there is a subtle shift in the average positions of some electrons relative to their"rest" positions.

This motion sets up an opposing electric field called the material polarization. Usually, this field simply reduces the total apparent field in the material -- the ratio of this new field to the external charge is called the dielectric constant for the material.

In the case of Quartz and some other materials, the electron drift causes the material to adjust slightly the spacing of its crystal lattice -- i. Usually this is a very small shift -- but it is a reversible process --if you squeeze the material -- you also get an apparent electric field on the outside. The fancy name for the phenomena is piezoelectric effect and it is related to symmetry properties of the underlying crystal or material.

Quartz is used in frequency stabilization because it can be fabricated into devices which 'ring' at a particular frequency. Rose Quartz purifies and opens the heart at all levels to promote love, self-love, friendship, deep inner healing and feelings of peace. Calming and reassuring, it helps to comfort in times of grief.

Rose Quartz dispels negativity and protects against environmental pollution, replacing it with loving vibes. Physically, clear crystals are claimed to help stimulate the immune system and balance out your entire body. Laser beams travel at the speed of light, more than million miles per hour, making them the fastest thing in the universe.

Quartz crystals rank as 7 on the Mohs scale. Therefore, a piece of quartz crystal will scratch a piece of glass. Test the unknown stone under inspection by trying to scratch a common piece of glass such as a glass bottle.

If the object easily scratches the glass, the specimen probably is quartz crystal. In the most basic sense, quartz is the crystalline form of silicon dioxide. When quartz grows into large crystals, lapidaries can cut varieties such as rock crystal, smoky quartz, amethyst, or citrine. Quartz can also grow into stones made of tiny microcrystals. This creates a very durable artificial rock without pores or cracks.

While these are characteristics of a quartz crystal as well, the final performance you get from your own oscillator will depend on the circuit as well as the crystal. For example, an oscillator with very high-temperature stability would be internally temperature-compensated a TCXO. So, if you want very high stability, a TCXO is the easy option rather than trying to temperature compensate your own crystal oscillator.

There are oscillators available which can be programmed to the desired frequency such as the Seiko Epson SG series. They still contain a quartz crystal but also a phase locked loop PLL to generate frequencies other than the crystal frequency. Stability will only be as good as the quartz crystal and they are usually only moderate performance devices.

There will also be phase noise due to the PLL. Overtone crystals can be tricky things to work with. Any crystal will have a resonance as shown below. There is a low impedance point where the crystal has its series resonance and a high impedance slightly higher in frequency where the crystal has its parallel resonance.