Electric field gradients at V,Nb and Ta in A15 alloys

The efg at V, Nb and Ta in all existing binary alloys with A15 structure has been calculated with the FLAPW technique. It is generally a result of counteracting p- and d-contributions from the conduction band, with a significant effect also of semicore states. For virtually all V and Nb compounds where experimental data are available, these are well reproduced, with the exception of Nb₃Sb. A critical test would be a measurement of the quadrupole interaction in the Ta alloys. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.