On the derivation of linear elasticity from atomistic models

We derive linear elastic energy functionals from atomistic models as a Γ-limit when the number of atoms tends to infinity, respectively, when the interatomic distances tend to zero. Our approach generalizes a recent result of Braides, Solci and Vitali [2]. In particular, we study mass spring models with full nearest and next-to-nearest pair interactions. We also consider boundary value problems where a part of the boundary is free.