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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Understanding Student Pathways In Context-Rich Problems, Pavlo Antonenko, John Jackman, Piyamart Kumsaikaew, Rahul Marathe, Dale Niederhauser, Craig Ogilvie, Sarah Ryan Jan 2011

Understanding Student Pathways In Context-Rich Problems, Pavlo Antonenko, John Jackman, Piyamart Kumsaikaew, Rahul Marathe, Dale Niederhauser, Craig Ogilvie, Sarah Ryan

Sarah M. Ryan

In this paper we investigate the ways that students' problem-solving behaviors evolve when solving multi-faceted, context-rich problems within a structured, computer-based learning environment. During the semester, groups of two or three students worked on several problems that required drawing on more than one concept and, hence, could not be readily solved with simple "plug-and-chug" strategies. The problems were presented to students in a data-rich, online problem-solving environment that tracked which information items were selected by students as they attempted to solve the problem. The students also completed a variety of tasks, like entering an initial qualitative analysis into an online …


Structural, Magnetic, And Defect Properties Of Co-Pt-Type Magnetic-Storage Alloys: Density-Functional Theory Study Of Thermal Processing Effects, Aftab Alam, Brent Kraczek, Duane D. Johnson Jul 2010

Structural, Magnetic, And Defect Properties Of Co-Pt-Type Magnetic-Storage Alloys: Density-Functional Theory Study Of Thermal Processing Effects, Aftab Alam, Brent Kraczek, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Using an optimized-basis Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker-coherent-potential approximation method, we calculate formation enthalpies ΔEf, structural, and magnetic properties of paramagnetic (PM) and ferromagnetic, disordered A1 and ordered L10 CoPt, FePd, and FePt systems that are of interest for high-density magnetic-recording media. To address processing effects, we focus on the point defects that dictate thermal properties and planar defects (e.g., c domain and antiphase boundaries) which can serve as pinning centers for magnetic domains and affect storage properties. We determine bulk Curie (Tc) and order-disorder (To-d) transition temperatures within 4% of observed values, and estimates for nanoparticles. Planar-defect energies γhklx show that the favorable …


Interphase Energies Of Hcp Precipitates In Fcc Metals: A Density-Functional Theory Study In Al-Ag, Daniel Finkenstadt, Duane D. Johnson Jan 2010

Interphase Energies Of Hcp Precipitates In Fcc Metals: A Density-Functional Theory Study In Al-Ag, Daniel Finkenstadt, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of interphase boundary energies relevant to hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) γ-precipitate formation were performed within approximate unit cells that mirror the experimental conditions in face-centered-cubic (fcc) Al-Ag solid solutions. In Al-rich, fcc Al-Ag, γ precipitates are observed to form rapidly with large (300+) aspect ratios even though the Al stacking-fault energy is high (approximately 130 mJ/m2), which should suppress hcp ribbon formation according to standard arguments. Our DFT results show why high-aspect ratio plates occur and why previous estimates based on Wulff construction were orders of magnitude less than observed values. Using DFT, we obtain a Gibbs free-energy …


Optimal Site-Centered Electronic Structure Basis Set From A Displaced-Center Expansion: Improved Results Via A Priori Estimates Of Saddle Points In The Density, Aftab Alam, Duane D. Johnson Sep 2009

Optimal Site-Centered Electronic Structure Basis Set From A Displaced-Center Expansion: Improved Results Via A Priori Estimates Of Saddle Points In The Density, Aftab Alam, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Site-centered, electronic-structure methods use an expansion inside nonoverlapping “muffin-tin” (MT) spheres plus an interstitial basis set. As the boundary separating the more spherical from nonspherical density between atoms, the “saddle-point” radii (SPR) in the density provide an optimal spherical region for expanding in spherical harmonics, as used in augmented plane wave, muffin-tin orbital, and multiple-scattering [Korringa, Kohn, and Rostoker (KKR)] methods. These MT-SPR guarantee unique, convex Voronoi polyhedra at each site, in distinction to Bader topological cells. We present a numerically fast, two-center expansion to find SPR a priori from overlapping atomic charge densities, valid also for disordered alloys. We …


Quantitative Prediction Of Twinning Stress In Fcc Alloys: Application To Cu-Al, Sandeep A. Kibey, Lin-Lin Wang, J. B. Liu, H. T. Johnson, H. Sehitoglu, Duane D. Johnson Jun 2009

Quantitative Prediction Of Twinning Stress In Fcc Alloys: Application To Cu-Al, Sandeep A. Kibey, Lin-Lin Wang, J. B. Liu, H. T. Johnson, H. Sehitoglu, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Twinning is one of most prevalent deformation mechanisms in materials. Having established a quantitative theory to predict onset twinning stress τcrit in fcc elemental metals from their generalized planar-fault-energy (GPFE) surface, we exemplify its use in alloys where the Suzuki effect (i.e., solute energetically favors residing at and near planar faults) is operative; specifically, we apply it in Cu-xAl (x is 0, 5, and 8.3 at. %) in comparison with experimental data. We compute the GPFE via density-functional theory, and we predict the solute dependence of the GPFE and τcrit, in agreement with measured values. We show that τcrit correlates …


Bcc-To-Hcp Transformation Pathways For Iron Versus Hydrostatic Pressure: Coupled Shuffle And Shear Modes, J. B. Liu, Duane D. Johnson Apr 2009

Bcc-To-Hcp Transformation Pathways For Iron Versus Hydrostatic Pressure: Coupled Shuffle And Shear Modes, J. B. Liu, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Using density-functional theory, we calculate the potential-energy surface (PES), minimum-energy pathway (MEP), and transition state (TS) versus hydrostatic pressure σhyd for the reconstructive transformation in Fe from body-centered cubic (bcc) to hexagonal closed-packed (hcp). At fixed σhyd, the PES is described by coupled shear (ϵ) and shuffle (η) modes and is determined from structurally minimized hcp-bcc energy differences at a set of (η,ϵ). We fit the PES using symmetry-adapted polynomials, permitting the MEP to be found analytically. The MEP is continuous and fully explains the transformation and its associated magnetization and volume discontinuity at TS. We show that σhyd (while …


Low-Energy Antiphase Boundaries, Degenerate Superstructures, And Phase Stability In Frustrated Fcc Ising Model And Ag-Au Alloys, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Teck L. Tan, Lin-Lin Wang, Duane D. Johnson Apr 2008

Low-Energy Antiphase Boundaries, Degenerate Superstructures, And Phase Stability In Frustrated Fcc Ising Model And Ag-Au Alloys, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Teck L. Tan, Lin-Lin Wang, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

An Ising model exhibits zero-energy antiphase boundaries (APBs) and frustration on close-packed face-centered cubic (fcc) and triangular lattices. The frustration results in degenerate structures and chains of long-period superstructures forming a quasicontinuous ground-state “hull” in the formation energy versus composition (c) diagram. In alloys, a nonzero but small APB energy yields a c-dependent reduction in this degeneracy that affects the phase diagram topology and range of the two-phase coexistence. Using density functional theory combined with cluster expansions (CEs), we study Ag-Au alloys as a prototype and find the effective cluster interactions (dominated by nearest-neighbor pairs), predict energetics of millions of …


Predicting Enthalpies Of Molecular Substances: Application To Libh4, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Duane D. Johnson Feb 2008

Predicting Enthalpies Of Molecular Substances: Application To Libh4, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

For molecular substances exhibiting harmonic and nonharmonic vibrations, we present a first-principles approach to predict enthalpy differences between phases at finite temperatures, including solid-solid and melting. We apply it to the complex hydride LiBH4. Using ab initio molecular dynamics, we predict a structure for the high-T solid phase of lithium borohydride, and we propose an approximation to account for nonharmonic vibrations. We then predict the enthalpy changes for solid-solid transition, melting, and an H-storage reaction, all in agreement with experiment.


Density Functional Study Of Structural Trends For Late-Transition-Metal 13-Atom Clusters, Lin-Lin Wang, Duane D. Johnson Jun 2007

Density Functional Study Of Structural Trends For Late-Transition-Metal 13-Atom Clusters, Lin-Lin Wang, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Because reactivity increases as particle size decreases and competition between numerous structures are possible, which affects catalytic and magnetic properties, we study the structural trends of late-transition-metal 13-atom clusters using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation to exchange-correlation functional. We consider open structural motifs, such as bilayer and cubic (recently found to have lower energy), and find new bilayer candidates that are even lower in energy. To study the influence of d-orbital filling on structural trends, we focus on Pt, Pd, and Rh clusters and find several new, low-energy structures for Pt13 and Pd13 from searches using a …


First-Principles Prediction Of Phase-Segregating Alloy Phase Diagrams And A Rapid Design Estimate Of Their Transition Temperatures, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Teck L. Tan, Duane D. Johnson Mar 2007

First-Principles Prediction Of Phase-Segregating Alloy Phase Diagrams And A Rapid Design Estimate Of Their Transition Temperatures, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Teck L. Tan, Duane D. Johnson

Nikolai A. Zarkevich

We calculate the transition temperature versus concentration (Tc vs c) phase diagrams of several phase-segregating alloys [fcc Ca-Sr, Au-Pt, and Rh-(Pd,Cu,Ag,Au)] using a multiscale method combining first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo via the cluster expansion (CE). We study Pd-Rh, with its well-known high-T miscibility gap, to verify the method’s reliability. We predict that Ca-Sr segregates at low temperatures. We then show that a rapid estimate of Tc is obtained from enthalpies analytically derived from a CE, and, using thermodynamic integration, we determine under what circumstances this mean-field estimate is accurate compared to Monte Carlo results. Also, we discuss how an …


Markov Chain Monte Carlo Defect Identification In Nde Images, Aleksandar Dogandžić, Benhong Zhang Jan 2007

Markov Chain Monte Carlo Defect Identification In Nde Images, Aleksandar Dogandžić, Benhong Zhang

Aleksandar Dogandžić

We derive a hierarchical Bayesian method for identifying elliptically‐shaped regions with elevated signal levels in NDE images. We adopt a simple elliptical parametric model for the shape of the defect region and assume that the defect signals within this region are random following a truncated Gaussian distribution. Our truncated‐Gaussian model ensures that the signals within the defect region are higher than the baseline level corresponding to the noise‐only case. We derive a closed‐form expression for the kernel of the posterior probability distribution of the location, shape, and defect‐signal distribution parameters (model parameters). This result is then used to develop Markov …


Solute/Defect-Mediated Pathway For Rapid Nanoprecipitation In Solid Solutions: Γ Surface Analysis In Fcc Al-Ag, Daniel Finkenstadt, Duane D. Johnson Jan 2006

Solute/Defect-Mediated Pathway For Rapid Nanoprecipitation In Solid Solutions: Γ Surface Analysis In Fcc Al-Ag, Daniel Finkenstadt, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

In face-centered-cubic (fcc) Al, stacking fault energy (SFE) is high at ca. 150mJ/m2, inhibiting stacking fault (SF) formation and dislocation motion. Yet Ag-rich hcp precipitates form rapidly in Al-rich fcc Al-Ag, even as the energy difference ΔEhcp−fcc between hcp and fcc homogeneous solid solution increases with Ag content. Using electronic density functional theory methods, we calculate the SFE γSF versus distance of Ag (111) planes from intrinsic (isf), extrinsic (esf) and twin (tsf) SFs. We find that an inhomogeneous distribution of Ag solute segregated in layers adjacent to SFs leads to favorable SFE, a manifestation of the well-known Suzuki effect. …


Systematic, Multisite Short-Range-Order Corrections To The Electronic Structure Of Disordered Alloys From First Principles: The Kkr Nonlocal Cpa From The Dynamical Cluster Approximation, D. A. Biava, Subhradip Ghosh, Duane D. Johnson, W. A. Shelton, Andrei V. Smirnov Sep 2005

Systematic, Multisite Short-Range-Order Corrections To The Electronic Structure Of Disordered Alloys From First Principles: The Kkr Nonlocal Cpa From The Dynamical Cluster Approximation, D. A. Biava, Subhradip Ghosh, Duane D. Johnson, W. A. Shelton, Andrei V. Smirnov

Duane D. Johnson

Although the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential approximation (KKR-CPA) is used widely to configurationally average and get electronic structures and energies of disordered alloys, a single-site CPA misses local environment effects, including short-range order (SRO). A proposed nonlocal CPA (NLCPA) recovers translational invariance of the effective medium via k-space coarse graining from the dynamical cluster approximation (DCA), where corrections are systematic as cluster size increases. We implement a first-principles KKR-NLCPA/DCA and show the effects of environment, including SRO, on the electronic structures of fcc CuAu and bcc NiAl.


Genetic Programming For Multitimescale Modeling, Kumara Sastry, Duane D. Johnson, David E. Goldberg, Pascal Bellon Aug 2005

Genetic Programming For Multitimescale Modeling, Kumara Sastry, Duane D. Johnson, David E. Goldberg, Pascal Bellon

Duane D. Johnson

A bottleneck for multitimescale thermally activated dynamics is the computation of the potential energy surface. We explore the use of genetic programming (GP) to symbolically regress a mapping of the saddle-point barriers from only a few calculated points via molecular dynamics, thereby avoiding explicit calculation of all barriers. The GP-regressed barrier function enables use of kinetic Monte Carlo to simulate real-time kinetics (seconds to hours) based upon realistic atomic interactions. To illustrate the concept, we apply a GP regression to vacancy-assisted migration on a surface of a concentrated binary alloy (from both quantum and empirical potentials) and predict the diffusion …


Crossover Energetics For Halogenated Si(100): Vacancy Line Defects, Dimer Vacancy Lines, And Atom Vacancy Lines, G. J. Xu, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Abhishek Agrawal, A. W. Signore, B. R. Trenhaile, Duane D. Johnson, J. H. Weaver Mar 2005

Crossover Energetics For Halogenated Si(100): Vacancy Line Defects, Dimer Vacancy Lines, And Atom Vacancy Lines, G. J. Xu, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Abhishek Agrawal, A. W. Signore, B. R. Trenhaile, Duane D. Johnson, J. H. Weaver

Duane D. Johnson

We investigated surface patterning of I-Si(100)-(2×1) both experimentally and theoretically. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we first examined I destabilization of Si(100)-(2×1) at near saturation. Dimer vacancies formed on the terraces at 600 K, and they grew into lines that were perpendicular to the dimer rows, termed vacancy line defects. These patterns were distinctive from those induced by Cl and Br under similar conditions since the latter formed atom and dimer vacancy lines that were parallel to the dimer rows. Using first-principles density functional theory, we determined the steric repulsive interactions associated with iodine and showed how the observed defect patterns …


Importance Of Thermal Disorder On The Properties Of Alloys: Origin Of Paramagnetism And Structural Anomalies In Bcc-Based Fe1−Xalx, Andrei V. Smirnov, W. A. Shelton, Duane D. Johnson Feb 2005

Importance Of Thermal Disorder On The Properties Of Alloys: Origin Of Paramagnetism And Structural Anomalies In Bcc-Based Fe1−Xalx, Andrei V. Smirnov, W. A. Shelton, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Fe1−xAlx exhibits interesting magnetic and anomalous structural properties as a function of composition and sample processing conditions arising from thermal or off-stoichiometric chemical disorder, and, although well studied, these properties are not understood. In stoichiometric B2 FeAl, including the effects of partial long-range order, i.e., thermal antisites, we find the experimentally observed paramagnetic response with nonzero local moments, in contrast to past investigations that find either a ferromagnetic or nonmagnetic state, both inconsistent with experiment. Moreover, from this magnetochemical coupling, we are able to determine the origins of the observed lattice constant anomalies found in Fe1−xAlx for x≃0.25–0.5 under various …


Reliable First-Principles Alloy Thermodynamics Via Truncated Cluster Expansions, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Duane D. Johnson Jun 2004

Reliable First-Principles Alloy Thermodynamics Via Truncated Cluster Expansions, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Duane D. Johnson

Nikolai A. Zarkevich

In alloys cluster expansions (CE) are increasingly used to combine first-principles electronicstructure calculations and Monte Carlo methods to predict thermodynamic properties. As a basis-set expansion in terms of lattice geometrical clusters and effective cluster interactions, the CE is exact if infinite, but is tractable only if truncated. Yet until now a truncation procedure was not well defined and did not guarantee a reliable truncated CE. We present an optimal truncation procedure for CE basis sets that provides reliable thermodynamics. We then exemplify its importance in Ni3V, where the CE has failed unpredictably, and now show agreement to a range of …


Prediction Of Dopant Ionization Energies In Silicon: The Importance Of Strain, A. Rockett, Duane D. Johnson, S. V. Khare, B. R. Tuttle Dec 2003

Prediction Of Dopant Ionization Energies In Silicon: The Importance Of Strain, A. Rockett, Duane D. Johnson, S. V. Khare, B. R. Tuttle

Duane D. Johnson

Based on a hydrogenic state and strain changes upon defect charging, we propose a simple, parameter-free model that agrees well with the observed group III and V monovalent-impurity ionization energies in Si, revealing the importance of such strain effects. Changes in lattice strain upon defect charging are obtained via superposition and elasticity theory using atomic relaxations from density functional theory.


Competition Between Ferromagnetism And Antiferromagnetism In Fept, G. Brown, B. Kraczek, A. Janotti, T. C. Schulthess, G. M. Stocks, Duane D. Johnson Aug 2003

Competition Between Ferromagnetism And Antiferromagnetism In Fept, G. Brown, B. Kraczek, A. Janotti, T. C. Schulthess, G. M. Stocks, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Ni/Fe/Co/Cu(100) films were epitaxially grown and investigated by photoemission electron microscopy. The magnetic correlation of the Ni and Co films was investigated by element-specific domain images. We found that the Ni magnetization exhibits a continuous rotation in the spin reorientation transition (SRT) region and that the Ni SRT thickness oscillates with the Fe film thickness.


Предсказание Термодинамики И Упорядочения В Металлических Сплавах Из Первых Принципов, Николай Заркевич Jun 2003

Предсказание Термодинамики И Упорядочения В Металлических Сплавах Из Первых Принципов, Николай Заркевич

Nikolai A. Zarkevich

Кластерные разложения по взаимодействиям все чаще используются для много- масштабного моделирования, сочетающего расчёты электронной структуры из первых принципов и методы Монте-Карло для предсказания термодинамических свойств сплавов. Кластерное разложение – это разложение по базису геометрических объектов (кластеров) на решётке и эффективных межатомных взаимодействий. Кластерное разложение может быть математически точным и бесконечным, но практично только в усечённом конечном базисе. Однако до сих пор процедура усечения базиса не была строго определена и не гарантировала надёжный результат. Мы предлагаем метод оптимального усечения базиса геометрических кластеров, который ведёт к надёжным предсказаниям термодинамики. Далее для примера мы проводим количественный расчёт термодинамических свойств ГЦК сплава Ni3V и …


Reply To “Comment On ‘Classical Density Functional Theory Of Freezing In Simple Fluids: Numerically Induced False Solutions’ ”, M. Valera, F. J. Pinski, Duane D. Johnson May 2003

Reply To “Comment On ‘Classical Density Functional Theory Of Freezing In Simple Fluids: Numerically Induced False Solutions’ ”, M. Valera, F. J. Pinski, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Recently we solved, via discrete numerical grids, the Ramakrishna-Yossouff density-functional theory equations for the freezing transition and obtained an intricate phase diagram of hard-sphere mixtures. Even though such methods provide more variational freedom than basis-set methods, we found that the thermodynamic quantities were sensitive to the spacing of numerical grids employed and observed numerically induced false minima. Dasgupta and Valls have commented that these false minima were due to our use of k-space methods and, hence, their early works based on a fully r-space approach are qualitatively correct, despite also being sensitive to the mesh granularity. Here, we clarify the …


Predicted Hcp Ag-Al Metastable Phase Diagram, Equilibrium Ground States, And Precipitate Structure, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Duane D. Johnson Feb 2003

Predicted Hcp Ag-Al Metastable Phase Diagram, Equilibrium Ground States, And Precipitate Structure, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Duane D. Johnson

Nikolai A. Zarkevich

Formation energies of a number of hcp-based Ag-Al structures are obtained from ab initio electronic-structure calculations and used within a cluster expansion approach to construct an effective alloy Hamiltonian. Formation energies are found to be inherently asymmetric versus composition, providing an incipient tendency for precipitation in Al-rich alloy. Both ground-state search and Monte Carlo simulations based on the cluster expansion are used to determine the metastable hcp Ag-Al phase diagram. A new equilibrium hcp AgAl ground state is predicted and zero-energy domain boundary defects are found. From thermodynamic results, we discuss the precipitate structure and composition in Al-rich Al-Ag alloys …


Magnetochemical Origin For Invar Anomalies In Iron-Nickel Alloys, V. Crisan, P. Entel, H. Ebert, H. Akai, Duane D. Johnson, J. B. Staunton Jul 2002

Magnetochemical Origin For Invar Anomalies In Iron-Nickel Alloys, V. Crisan, P. Entel, H. Ebert, H. Akai, Duane D. Johnson, J. B. Staunton

Duane D. Johnson

Zero- and finite-temperature (T) first-principles calculations versus composition (c) show that magnetochemical effects lead to Invar anomalies in Fe-(Ni, Co, Pt) alloys. Chemical short- or long-range order and negative interatomic exchange interaction of electrons in antibonding majority-spin states force the face-centered-cubic lattice to compete simultaneously for a smaller volume (from antiferromagnetic tendencies) and a larger volume (from Stoner ferromagnetic tendencies). The resulting additional negative lattice anharmonicity is very large for Fe-(Ni, Co) while absent for Fe-Pt. Our results explain the T- and c-dependent behavior of Invar properties, including the lattice softening and thermal expansion of Fe-Ni. In addition, the occurrence …


Absolute Tin(111) Step Energies From Analysis Of Anisotropic Island Shape Fluctuations, S. Kodambaka, V. Petrova, S. V. Khare, Duane D. Johnson, I. Petrov, J. E. Greene Apr 2002

Absolute Tin(111) Step Energies From Analysis Of Anisotropic Island Shape Fluctuations, S. Kodambaka, V. Petrova, S. V. Khare, Duane D. Johnson, I. Petrov, J. E. Greene

Duane D. Johnson

In situ high-temperature (1165–1248 K) scanning tunneling microscopy was used to measure fluctuations around the equilibrium shape of two-dimensional vacancy islands on TiN(111) terraces. From the equilibrium shape, the ratio of the two ⟨110⟩ step energies was found to be 0.72±0.02. Combining this with the results of an exact approach for analysis of shape fluctuations, applicable to highly anisotropic islands, we obtain absolute values for step energies and step stiffnesses as a function of orientation.


First-Principles Theory Of The Temperature And Compositional Dependence Of Atomic Short-Range Order In Disordered Cu-Pd Alloys, R. V. Chepulskii, J. B. Staunton, Ezio Bruno, B. Ginatempo, Duane D. Johnson Feb 2002

First-Principles Theory Of The Temperature And Compositional Dependence Of Atomic Short-Range Order In Disordered Cu-Pd Alloys, R. V. Chepulskii, J. B. Staunton, Ezio Bruno, B. Ginatempo, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

We combine the first-principles, Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent potential approximation based calculations of compositional fluctuations with a statistical mechanical ring approximation to study the temperature (T) and composition (c) dependence of the atomic short-range order (SRO) in disordered, face-centred cubic, Cu-Pd alloys. The fourfold splitting of SRO peaks around the equivalent X(0,1,0) points in reciprocal space is obtained in a wide T−c region. Such splitting is shown to be an “energy” effect caused by the absolute minima of the Fourier transform of the effective atomic interactions and related previously to the existence of nested sheets of the disordered alloy’s Fermi surface. However, …


Accuracy And Limitations Of Localized Green’S Function Methods For Materials Science Applications, Duane D. Johnson, Andrei V. Smirnov Dec 2001

Accuracy And Limitations Of Localized Green’S Function Methods For Materials Science Applications, Duane D. Johnson, Andrei V. Smirnov

Duane D. Johnson

We compare screened real-space and reciprocal-space implementations of Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker electronic-structure method for their applicability to largescale problems requiring various levels of accuracy. We show that real-space calculations in metals can become impractical to describe energies. We suggest a combined r- and k-space scheme as the most efficient and flexible strategy for accurate energy calculations. Our hybrid code is suitable for (parallel) large-scale calculations involving complex, multicomponent systems. We also discuss how details of numerical procedures can affect accuracy of such calculations.


Classical Density Functional Theory Of Freezing In Simple Fluids: Numerically Induced False Solutions, M. Valera, F. J. Pinski, Duane D. Johnson Nov 2001

Classical Density Functional Theory Of Freezing In Simple Fluids: Numerically Induced False Solutions, M. Valera, F. J. Pinski, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

Density functional theory (DFT) has provided many insights into the freezing of simple fluids. Several analytical and numerical solution have shown that the DFT provides an accurate description of freezing of hard spheres and their mixtures. Compared to other techniques, numerical, grid-based algorithms for solving the DFT equations have more variational freedom and are capable of describing subtle behavior, as that seen in mixtures with multipeaked density profiles. However the grid-based approach is sensitive to the coarseness of the mesh employed. Here we summarize how the granularity of the mesh affects the freezing point within the DFT. For coarse meshes, …


Temperature-Induced Configurational Excitations For Predicting Thermodynamic And Mechanical Properties Of Alloys, Duane D. Johnson, Andrei V. Smirnov, J. B. Staunton, F. J. Pinski, W. A. Shelton Nov 2000

Temperature-Induced Configurational Excitations For Predicting Thermodynamic And Mechanical Properties Of Alloys, Duane D. Johnson, Andrei V. Smirnov, J. B. Staunton, F. J. Pinski, W. A. Shelton

Duane D. Johnson

We show that a structural energy difference, ΔE, must include explicit symmetry-breaking changes of the electronic structure due to temperature-induced configurational excitations, and why ΔE at T=0 K is not necessarily relevant to thermodynamic and mechanical modeling. In Ni3V, we calculate a tenfold decrease of ΔE between D022 and L12 structures from T=0 K to states of order relevant to experiment. ΔE calculated directly from states with short-range order (8 meV) or with low partial order (7–12 meV) agree with high-T experiment (10 meV).


Spin Fluctuations In Nearly Magnetic Metals From Ab Initio Dynamical Spin Susceptibility Calculations: Application To Pd And Cr95v5, J. B. Staunton, J. Poulter, B. Ginatempo, E. Bruno, Duane D. Johnson Jul 2000

Spin Fluctuations In Nearly Magnetic Metals From Ab Initio Dynamical Spin Susceptibility Calculations: Application To Pd And Cr95v5, J. B. Staunton, J. Poulter, B. Ginatempo, E. Bruno, Duane D. Johnson

Duane D. Johnson

We describe our theoretical formalism and computational scheme for making ab initio calculations of the dynamic paramagnetic spin susceptibilities of metals and alloys at finite temperatures. Its basis is time-dependent density functional theory within an electronic multiple scattering, imaginary time Green function formalism. Results receive a natural interpretation in terms of overdamped oscillator systems making them suitable for incorporation into spin fluctuation theories. For illustration we apply our method to the nearly ferromagnetic metal Pd and the nearly antiferromagnetic chromium alloy Cr95V5. We compare and contrast the spin dynamics of these two metals and in each case identify those fluctuations …


Incommensurate And Commensurate Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations In Cr And Cr Alloys From Ab Initio Dynamical Spin Susceptibility Calculations, Duane D. Johnson, J. Pulter, B. Ginatempo, E. Bruno, J. B. Staunton Apr 1999

Incommensurate And Commensurate Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations In Cr And Cr Alloys From Ab Initio Dynamical Spin Susceptibility Calculations, Duane D. Johnson, J. Pulter, B. Ginatempo, E. Bruno, J. B. Staunton

Duane D. Johnson

A scheme for making ab initio calculations of the dynamic paramagnetic spin susceptibilities of solids at finite temperatures is described. It is based on time-dependent density functional theory and employs an electronic multiple scattering formalism. Incommensurate and commensurate antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in paramagnetic Cr and compositionally disordered Cr95V5 and Cr95Re5 alloys are studied together with the connection with the nesting of their Fermi surfaces. We find that the spin fluctuations can be described rather simply in terms of an overdamped oscillator model. Good agreement with inelastic neutron scattering data is obtained.