FLAPW calculations of the EFG in semimetallic arsenic and antimony under varying pressure

The variation of the electric field gradient (EFG) at nuclear sites with pressure in semimetallic arsenic and antimony has been calculated using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method. The results are compared with NQR data, which are available up to a pressure of 2 GPa. The calculated EFG depends sensitively on the values of the lattice parameters used. A theoretical investigation of the relationship between c/a and the internal parameter z, using FLAPW methods, has been carried out and compared with available X-ray diffraction data for arsenic and antimony. For antimony, the FLAPW calculations give results which are consistent with the experimental pressure variation of both the lattice parameters and the EFG. In the As case, the use of theoretical values of z leads to good agreement with the measured pressure variation of the EFG. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.