Large-scale atomistic simulations of nanostructured materials based on divide-and-conquer density functional theory

A linear-scaling algorithm based on a divide-and-conquer (DC) scheme is designed to perform large-scale molecular-dynamics simulations, in which interatomic forces are computed quantum mechanically in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). This scheme is applied to the thermite reaction at an Al/Fe₂O₃ interface. It is found that mass diffusion and reaction rate at the interface are enhanced by a concerted metal-oxygen flip mechanism. Preliminary simulations are carried out for an aluminum particle in water based on the conventional DFT, as a target system for large-scale DC-DFT simulations. A pair of Lewis acid and base sites on the aluminum surface preferentially catalyzes hydrogen production in a low activation-barrier mechanism found in the simulations.     

Coupled electron-ion monte carlo calculations of dense metallic hydrogen

We present an efficient new Monte Carlo method which couples path integrals for finite temperature protons with quantum Monte Carlo calculations for ground state electrons, and we apply it to metallic hydrogen for pressures beyond molecular dissociation. We report data for the equation of state for temperatures across the melting of the proton crystal. Our data exhibit more structure and higher melting temperatures of the proton crystal than do Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics results. This method fills the gap between high temperature electron-proton path integral and ground state diffusion Monte Carlo methods and should have wide applicability.     

Electron density changes and high harmonics generation in H2 molecule under intense laser fields

Under interaction with a high-intensity laser field, the real-time femtosecond dynamics of the electron density in the H₂ molecule has been studied quantum mechanically. For this purpose, a time-dependent generalized nonlinear Schr?dinger equation of motion, developed earlier in our laboratory by combining density functional theory and quantum fluid dynamics in real space, is solved numerically at the equilibrium internuclear distance of the molecule. By employing various time-dependent calculated properties as probes, information and insight are obtained about the phenomena of excitation, ionization, bond-softening, dipole formation and high-harmonics generation. The present approach goes beyond the linear response formalism.     

Nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics using linear-response time-dependent density functional theory

We review our recent work on ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, based on linear-response timedependent density functional theory for the calculation of the nuclear forces, potential energy surfaces, and nonadiabatic couplings. Furthermore, we describe how nuclear quantum dynamics beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation can be performed using quantum trajectories. Finally, the coupling and control of an external electromagnetic field with mixed quantum/classical trajectory surface hopping is discussed.     

Nuclear density functional theory

An understanding of atomic nuclei is crucial for a complete nuclear theory, for the nuclear astrophysics, for performing new experimental tasks, and for various other applications. Within a density functional theory, the total binding energy of the nucleus is given by a functional of the nuclear density matrices and their derivatives. The variation of the energy density functional with respect to particle and pairing densities leads to the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov equations. The “Universal Nuclear Energy Density Functional” (UNEDF) SciDAC project to develop and optimize the energy density functional for atomic nuclei using state-of-the-art computational infrastructure, is briefly described. The ultimate goal is to replace current phenomenological models of the nucleus with a well-founded microscopic theory with minimal uncertainties, capable of describing nuclear data and extrapolating to unknown regions.     

Transport in fullerene device coupled to Cu,Ag and Au electrodes

We present an ab initio approach of the electronic transport through a single molecular junction based on C₂₀ fullerene. The electronic properties of a single molecular junction constrained within two semi-infinite metallic electrodes are largely affected by the choice of electrode material. The two-probe device formed by the mechanically control break technique has been modelled with three distinct electrode materials from group IB of the periodic table, namely copper, silver and gold. The quantum characteristics of these mechanically stable devices are obtained by utilising first-principle density functional theory together with non-equilibrium green function method. We evaluate the quantum characteristics, namely density of states, transmission spectrum, energy levels, current and conductance, which essentially determine the behaviour of a molecule linked to different electrodes. Our investigation concludes that copper, silver and gold electrode configuration in conjunction with C₂₀ fullerene behaves as metallic, non-metallic and semi-metallic in nature, respectively.     

Hydrogen storage in BC3 composite single-walled nanotube:a combined density functional theory and Monte Carlo investigation

This paper applies a density functional theory(DFT) and grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations(GCMC) to investigate the physisorptions of molecular hydrogen in single-walled BC 3 nanotubes and carbon nanotubes.The DFT calculations may provide useful information about the nature of hydrogen adsorption and physisorption energies in selected adsorption sites of these two nanotubes.Furthermore,the GCMC simulations can reproduce their storage capacity by calculating the weight percentage of the adsorbed molecular hydrogen under different conditions.The present results have shown that with both computational methods,the hydrogen storage capacity of BC 3 nanotubes is superior to that of carbon nanotubes.The reasons causing different behaviour of hydrogen storage in these two nanotubes are explained by using their contour plots of electron density and charge-density difference.     

A quantum mechanical determination of the superfluid density

The constituting conservation laws for a superfluid are quantum mechanically derived. Using thermodynamic relations the superfluid density is model-independently expressed in terms of reduced-density matrices. The general relation is illustrated for the Bogolubov model, and for two other approximations for the two-particle reduced-density matrix. The resulting relations between the densities of the super component and of the condensate are discussed.     

Hydrogen bonding in liquid water: An ab initio QM/MM MD simulation study

Pattern and dynamics of hydrogen bonds in liquid water were investigated by a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical molecular dynamics (QM/MM MD) simulation at Hartree–Fock (HF) level of theory. A large subregion of the whole system comprising two complete coordination shells was treated quantum mechanically in order to include all polarization and charge transfer effects and to obtain accurate data about structure and dynamics of the intermolecular bonds. The results of this investigation are in agreement with recent experimental findings and suggest that in liquid water every molecule forms in average 2.8, but almost as a rule less than four intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

Quantum nuclear effects on the location of hydrogen above and below the palladium (100) surface

We report ab initio path integral molecular dynamics simulations of hydrogen and deuterium adsorbed on and absorbed in the Pd(100) surface at 100 K. Significant quantum nuclear effects are found by comparing with conventional ab initio molecular dynamics simulations with classical nuclei. For on-surface adsorption, hydrogen resides higher above the surface when quantum nuclear effects are included, an effect which brings the computed height into better agreement with experimental measurements. For sub-surface absorption, the classical and quantum simulations differ in an even more significant manner: the classically stable subsurface tetrahedral position is unstable when quantum nuclear effects are accounted for. This study provides insight that aids in the interpretation of experimental results and, more generally, underscores that despite the computational cost ab initio path integral molecular dynamics simulations of surface and subsurface adsorption are now feasible.     

Dynamical deformations of the electron density in an H2 molecule under strong,oscillating magnetic fields: an application of time-dependent quantum fluid density functional theory

Following the time-dependent quantum fluid density functional theory developed in our laboratory, the present quantum-mechanical, dynamical study of the H₂ molecule under strong, oscillating magnetic fields reveals a coexistence of both slow and fast dynamics, as seen earlier in the cases of hydrogen and helium atoms. Using the Deb–Chattaraj equation of motion we find that, contrary to the situation with static magnetic fields, the electron density now transiently expands. Consequently, the fate of the H–H bond under such strong TD magnetic fields has been addressed through detailed and accurate TD density profiles computed by direct numerical solution of the real-time evolution equation. A detailed interpretation of the slow dynamics has been made.     

氢原子中电子概率密度的可视化研究

针对量子物理中氢原子电子概率密度抽象、不易理解的特点,本文给出了氢原子中电子概率密度分布函数,包括径向分布和角向分布函数.利用Matlab强大的绘图功能对其分布规律进行可视化研究.结果表明,该方法直观形象地揭示了氢原子中电子概率分布情况,为物理教学提供了新手段.     

Universality principle and the development of classical density functional theory

The universality principle of the free energy density functional and the ‘test particle' trick by Percus are combined to construct the approximate free energy density functional or its functional derivative. Information about the bulk fluid radial distribution function is integrated into the density functional approximation directly for the first time in the present methodology. The physical foundation of the present methodology also applies to the quantum density functional theory.     

Metastable Conducting Crystalline Hydrogen at High Pressure

The quantum molecular dynamics method within the density functional theory has been used to calculate the equation of state, pair correlation function, and static electrical conductivity of solid hydrogen in the region of formation of a conducting phase. Hysteresis has been revealed on the density dependence of the pressure at a temperature of 100 K under compression and subsequent tension. The overlapping of branches of the isotherms of the molecular and nonmolecular phases of solid hydrogen corresponds to the region of existence of metastable states. The width of this region is 275 GPa. It has been shown that conducting crystalline nonmolecular hydrogen with P2₁/c symmetry can exist at extension to a pressure of 350 GPa.

     

Enhanced density of low-lying 0+ states: A corroboration of shape phase transitional behavior

A (p, t) study of eight nuclei in the rare earth region identified 96 0⁺ states (67 new). Their density at low energy is used to corroborate a fundamental property of quantum phase transitional behavior and to provide a new signature of nuclei near the critical point.     

Nuclear energy density functionals constrained by low-energy QCD

A microscopic framework of nuclear energy density functionals is reviewed, which establishes a direct relation between low-energy QCD and nuclear structure, synthesizing effective field theory methods and principles of density functional theory. Guided by two closely related features of QCD in the low-energy limit: a) in-medium changes of vacuum condensates, and b) spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry; a relativistic energy density functional is developed and applied in studies of ground-state properties of spherical and deformed nuclei.     

Exact density matrix of an oscillator-bath system: Alternative derivation

Starting from a total Lagrangian describing an oscillator-bath system, an alternative derivation of exact quantum propagator is presented. Having the quantum propagator, the exact density matrix, reduced density matrix of the main oscillator and thermal equilibrium fixed point are obtained. The modified quantum propagator is obtained in the generalised case where the main oscillator is under the influence of a classical external force. By introducing auxiliary classical external fields, the generalised quantum propagator or generating functional of position correlation functions is obtained.     

Hydrogen bonding in water

Computer simulations using density functional theory based ab initio path integral molecular dynamics have been carried out to investigate hydrogen bonding in water under ambient conditions. Structural predictions for both H2O and D2O, which include the effects of zero-point energy, thermal motion, and many body polarization effects, are contrasted with classical simulations that ignore nuclear quantum effects. The calculated effect of H/D isotope substitution on the water structure is much smaller than the difference between the classical and quantum path integral results, and is in excellent agreement with the measured H/D difference data from both neutron and x-ray scattering.