Study of local atomic and electronic structure of titanium-containing forsterite based on analysis of X-ray absorption spectra

The local atomic structure of titanium-containing forsterite is investigated based on analysis of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra. The Ti K-XANES spectra of the mineral under study are calculated for several possible structural models. Theoretical analysis of the X-ray absorption spectra is performed based on the full-potential finite-difference method. The local geometry of the titanium environment is determined by comparing the experimental Ti K-XANES spectrum with the theoretical spectra calculated for different structural models. The structural model where titanium atoms substitute for silicon ones is found to be most likely for titanium-containing forsterite. The calculated partial densities of electron states of titanium near the bottom of the conduction band of titanium-containing forsterite are analyzed.