Lattice statics calculations for a vacancy in magnesium

Using the Green function method of lattice statics, the lattice distortion in the neighborhood of a vacancy in magnesium has been calculated in three different axially-symmetric (AS) host lattice models and also in a model derived from an empirical interatomic pair potential. The variations in the lattice distortion and the relaxation energy of the vacancy are studied as the size of the defect space is allowed to vary from two to four surrounding neighbors. The perfect static lattice Green functions are computed up to 19 neighbors in the 4 models and the values obtained are shown to be not very sensitive to the model chosen. The lattice relaxation is found to be negligible in all models except in a four-neighbor AS model. The relaxation energies in these four models are computed to be 0.0027 eV, 0.034 eV, 0.28 eV and 0.0069 eV respectively. Results for the monovacancy formation energy, the elastic dipole tensor and the volume change of the crystal due to the vacancy are also presented.     

Vibrational properties of Re2N and Re3N compounds

Using first-principles calculations, we have studied the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamical properties of the recently synthesized Re₂N and Re₃N compounds. The generalized gradient approximation is used to model exchange-correlation effects. The phonon dispersion curves are derived using the direct method. The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters are in overall agreement with the available experimental and theoretical results. The present phonon dispersion results show that both compounds are dynamically stable for the structures considered. The temperature-dependent behavior of thermodynamical properties, such as free energy, entropy, heat capacity, and internal energy, is also presented.     

六角密堆结构钇的解析型键序作用势

为了构建拟合势需要的数据库,采用密度泛函理论方法计算了六角密堆结构钇(hcp-Y)的晶格参数、弹性常数、内聚能、结构能差以及相关的点、面缺陷性质. 基于解析型键序作用势,构建了hcp-Y的多体作用势模型. hcp-Y势模型是通过拟合Y的晶格参数、弹性常数、体弹模量、内聚能、空位形成能和不同相之间的结构能差而构建.分析发现,所得到的势模型能够很好地描述hcp-Y的自填隙原子形成能、空位形成能、双空位键能以及其它体性质,同时,构建的势模型用来研究Y的热动力学性质的相关结果也比较理想.     

基于第一性原理分子动力学的填充方钴矿热输运性质及微观过程的研究

对于重要热电材料之一的填充方钴矿材料,其低热导率的成因存在两种观点:1)填充原子的局域振动引起共振散射降低热导率;2)填充原子的引入加强了三声子倒逆过程来降低热导率.本文采用含有限温度效应的第一性原理分子动力学方法模拟了YbFe_4Sb_(12)的动力学过程,并通过温度相关有效势场方法得到了充分包含非线性作用的等效非谐力常数,研究了微扰近似下的声子输运性质.结果显示,在填充原子振动全部参与三声子倒逆散射过程的近似下,相比于纯方钴矿体系,声子寿命大幅地降低,填充原子的振动是热阻的重要来源.但即便如此,理论计算结果与实验的晶格热导率之间仍存在明显偏离.不同填充原子振动之间的较弱关联性质也揭示其明显偏离经典的声子图像,表现为一种强烈的局域特征振动模式,并以此散射其他晶格声子,因而对热阻的贡献也超出了传统三声子的理论框架.通过将填充原子Yb振动模式的寿命进行共振散射形式的修正,可以使晶格热导率与实验结果符合较好.以上结果表明,YbFe_4Sb_(12)的低晶格热导率是由声子间相互作用以及具有局域振动特征的共振散射两方面因素导致.     

Inelastic neutron scattering and lattice dynamics of GaPO<Subscript>4</Subscript>

We report here measurements of phonon spectrum and lattice dynamical calculations for GaPO₄. The measurements in low-cristobalite phase of GaPO₄ are carried out using high-resolution medium-energy chopper spectrometer at ANL, USA in the energy transfer range 0–160 meV. Semiempirical interatomic potential in GaPO₄, previously determined using ab-initio calculations have been widely used in studying the phase transitions among various polymorphs. The calculated phonon spectrum using the available potential show fair agreement with the experimental data. However, the agreement between the two is improved by including the polarisability of the oxygen atoms in the framework of the shell model. The lattice dynamical models are also exploited for calculations of various thermodynamic properties of GaPO₄.     

Pseudopotential calculation of the vacancy formation energy in polyvalent metals

Values of the vacancy formation energy have been calculated in polyvalent metals Be, Mg, Zn, Tl, and Sc, without taking into account lattice relaxation energy. Parameters of the model pseudopotential used in the calculations were determined from experimental phonon spectra. Sensitivity of the quantities calculated to the choice of the approximation for exchange-correlation corrections in the dieletric function has been studied.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 7–10, March, 1982.     

Charge fluctuation model of lattice vibrations

A new phenomenological model is proposed for the lattice dynamics of transition metals. It is based on the microscopic model of Sinha and Harmon and includes the effect of charge fluctuations coupled to atomic motions. The model has been found to reproduce very accurately the phonon dispersion curves for Nb with short-range charge fluctuations and interatomic interactions.     

Theoretical investigations on the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of XC (X=Si, Ge, Sn)

First-principles calculations, which is based on the plane-wave pseudopotential approach to the density functional perturbation theory within the local density approximation, have been performed to investigate the structural, lattice dynamical, and thermodynamic properties of SiC, GeC, and SnC. The results of ground state parameters, phase transition pressure and phonon dispersion are compared and agree well with the experimental and theoretical data in the previous literature. The obtained phonon frequencies at the zone-center are analyzed. We also used the phonon density of states and quasiharmonic approximation to calculate and predict some thermodynamic properties such as entropy, heat capacity, internal energy, and phonon free energy of SiC, GeC, and SnC in B3 phase.     

A first-principles study on the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of beryllium chalcogenides

First-principles calculations, which are based on the plane-wave pseudopotential approach to the density functional theory and the density functional perturbation theory within the local density approximation, have been performed to investigate the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of zinc blende (B3) structure beryllium chalcogenides: BeS, BeSe and BeTe. The results of ground-state parameters and phonon dispersion are compared and contrasted with the experimental and theoretical data of previous literature. The phonon frequencies at the zone-center are analyzed. We also used the phonon density of states and quasiharmonic approximation to calculate and predict some thermodynamic properties such as entropy, heat capacity, internal energy and free energy of the B3 phase beryllium chalcogenides.     

Internal equilibrium and crystal dynamics of tantalum

A lattice dynamical model for bcc metals, which satisfies the internal force equilibrium condition of the lattice is proposed. The present model combines a linearized Thomas-Fermi Theory for the electron-ion interaction and the central pair potential for ion-ion interaction. as an application, the computed phonon dispersion, vibrational spectrum, and lattice specific heat of tantalum show fairly good agreement with experiments.     

Lattice Dynamics Study of Magnesium Chalcogenides

First-principles calculations,which are based on the plane-wave pseudopotential approach to density functional perturbation theory within the local density approximation,have been performed to investigate the structural,lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of zinc blende(B3) structure magnesium chalcogenides:MgS,MgSe and MgTe.The results of ground state parameters and phonon dispersion are compared and agree well with the experimental data available and other calculations.We obtain the change of Born effective charge and LO-TO splitting under hydrostatic pressure.Finally,by the calculations of phonon frequencies,some thermodynamic properties such as the entropy,heat capacity,internal energy,and free energy are also successfully obtained.     

Phenomenological interatomic potentials for silicon, germanium and their binary alloy

A phenomenological potential is constructed for silicon, germanium, and their binary alloy. As in the modified embedded atom model (MEAM), the interatomic interactions are assumed to arise from the overlap of the electron wave functions. However, the calculation of energy is quite different in the two models. The proposed potential has seven adjustable parameters in contrast to ten or more in MEAM but gives perfect fit with the measured values of seven most important quantities for characterizing strained silicon: cohesive energy, equilibrium lattice constant, vacancy formation energy, Raman frequency, and the three elastic constants. The potential should be suitable for lattice statics calculations on strained silicon.     

Melting curves of FCC-metals by cell-theory

The cell model is developed to account for many body interaction effects, as occurring in the embedded atom method (EAM) potentials, and crystal lattice features to determine the free energy of FCC metals. The well known smearing approximation, which is generally used in conjunction with pair potentials, is also developed for EAM potentials. The free energy so obtained is used to determine melting curves of FCC metals. For this purpose, the liquid phase free energy is calculated using the corrected rigid spheres model. The advantage of our scheme, which is verified with data on Lennard-Jones solids, is that both free energies are based on the same interaction potential. Results match well with the available experimental/theoretical data for Al and Cu. A good agreement is also found for the transition metals, Ni and Pt, for which molecular dynamics as well as theories like Lindemann's law do not give accurate results. It is also found that smearing approximation, which neglects interactions beyond nearest neighbors, also provides good estimates for free energy if many body effects are accounted with EAM potential.     

Effects of Screening and Finite Phonon Energy on the Transport in Quantized Layers in Compound Semiconductors

Analytical expressions for the momentum relaxation times of the conduction electrons in a non-degenerate two dimensional electron gas in the surface of a compound semiconductor have been obtained for interactions with the piezoelectric and deformation potential acoustic phonons taking due account of the screening of the perturbing potential under the the condition of low lattice temperature when the phonon energy cannot be neglected in comparison to the average thermal energy of the electrons and for that matter the equipartition approximation for the phonon distribution is hardly valid. The relaxation times calculated for inversion layers in GaAs and ZnO are found to depend upon the carrier energy, the lattice temperature and the impurity concentration in rather complex manners which are significantly different from what follows from the traditional approach of either neglecting the phonon energy or disregarding the process of screening. It is seen how the finite value of the phonon energy and the screening of the perturbing potential change the mobility characteristics significantly at the low lattice temperatures. The temperature dependence of the zero field mobility that one obtains using the relaxation times calculated here is quite different from the traditional laws.     

Calculation of the lattice dynamical properties of Ge

The lattice dynamical properties of Ge are studied employing a frozen phonon approach within an ab initio density-functional pseudopotential formalism. Using the atomic number, atomic mass, and crystal structure as the only input information, we calculate phonon frequencies and mode Grüneisen parameters at Γ and X and the third-order anharmonic parameter for the zone center optical mode. The results are in excellent agreement with available experimental data. An analysis of various energy contributions to the TA (X) mode shows that the proper inclusion of the exchange-correlation energy is crucial for accurate microscopic studies of lattice dynamics.     

Construction of embedded-atom-method interatomic potentials for alkaline metals （Li,Na,and K） by lattice inversion

The lattice-inversion embedded-atom-method interatomic potential developed previously by us is extended to alkaline metals including Li,Na,and K.It is found that considering interatomic interactions between neighboring atoms of an appropriate distance is a matter of great significance in constructing accurate embedded-atom-method interatomic potentials,especially for the prediction of surface energy.The lattice-inversion embedded-atom-method interatomic potentials for Li,Na,and K are successfully constructed by taking the fourth-neighbor atoms into consideration.These angular-independent potentials markedly promote the accuracy of predicted surface energies,which agree well with experimental results.In addition,the predicted structural stability,elastic constants,formation and migration energies of vacancy,and activation energy of vacancy diffusion are in good agreement with available experimental data and first-principles calculations,and the equilibrium condition is satisfied.     

Ultrasonic attenuation in the Gd-doped superconductor LaAl2

The ultrasonic attenuation (10–250MHz) in (LaGd)Al₂ with 0.23at% Gd has been measured between 293 K and 0.5 K. Below 10K the absorption is caused by superposition of phonon/electron absorption of Pippard type and a mechanical relaxation process which is attributed to a lattice defect of either vacancy, dislocation or impurity type. The relaxation takes place by interaction of the defect with both conduction electrons and lattice phonons with a mixed relaxation time. Superconductivity offers the unique chance to separate both relaxation mechanisms since during superconducting transition relaxation into the electronic system vanishes and leaves the phonon process alone to determine the defect dynamics. The temperature dependence of the individual relaxation times has been derived.     

Deformation resonance approach to adsorbate induced relaxation

Adsorbate induced modifications of the surface lattice dynamics are of particular interest with respect to surface reconstruction and relaxation. We report on a theoretical attempt of disclosing the microscopic mechanism of an adsorbate driven change of the surface geometry in the early stages of adsorption. The theoretical framework is the deformation resonance approach (DRA), which has been developed for the investigation of inelastic gas - surface interactions. The adsorbate - phonon interaction is of short range and therefore treated in a localized basis set. The local deformation of the surface in the environment of the adsorbed particle is calculated self-consistently using quantum mechanics. Qualitative aspects of the correlated adsorbate - substrate motion are discussed paying special attention to the possibility of adsorbate induced soft phonon modes.The method is applied to studying the interaction of a hydrogen atom with the nickel (110) - surface. The three-dimensional static potential energy surface including the first and second derivatives with respect to the substrate atom displacements has been evaluated using a sophisticated electronic model Hamiltonian. Many - body forces lead to a modification of the coupling between substrate atoms as compared to the clean surface. The metal atoms relax from their original equilibrium positions in order to minimize the total ground state energy of the interacting system. This behaviour is discussed as a possible driving force for the hydrogen induced reconstruction.