Synchrotron X-ray and <i>ab initio</i> studies of β-Si₃N₄

Almost absorption- and extinction-free single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction data were measured at 150, 200 and 295 K for beta-Si3N4, silicon nitride, at a wavelength of 0.7 A. The true symmetry of this material has been the subject of minor controversy for several decades. No compelling evidence favouring the low-symmetry P6(3) model was identified in this study.