Showing papers by "Roberto Car published in 2015"

Three-dimensional Dirac semimetals: Design principles and predictions of new materials

Abstract: Design principles and predictions of new three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetals are presented and placed in the context of currently known materials. Three different design principles are presented (cases I, II, and III), each of which yields predictions for new candidates. For case I, 3D Dirac semimetals based on charge-balanced compounds BaAgBi, SrAgBi, YbAuSb, ${\mathrm{PtBi}}_{2}$, and ${\mathrm{SrSn}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$ are identified as candidates. For case II, 3D Dirac semimetals in analogy to graphene, ${\mathrm{BaGa}}_{2}$ is identified as a candidate, and BaPt and ${\mathrm{Li}}_{2}\mathrm{Pt}$ are discussed. For case III, 3D Dirac semimetals based on glide planes and screw axes, ${\mathrm{TlMo}}_{3}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ and the $A{\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}{X}_{3}$ family, in general ($A=\text{K}$, Na, In, Tl; $X=\text{Se}$,Te), as well as the Group IVb trihalides such as ${\mathrm{HfI}}_{3}$, are identified as candidates. Finally, we discuss conventional intermetallic compounds with Dirac cones and identify ${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}\mathrm{B}$ as a potentially interesting material.

Combined Effects of Functional Groups, Lattice Defects, and Edges in the Infrared Spectra of Graphene Oxide

Abstract: Infrared spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations has been widely used to characterize the structure of graphene oxide and its reduced forms. Yet, the synergistic effects of different functional groups, lattice defects, and edges on the vibrational spectra are not well understood. Here, we report first-principles calculations of the infrared spectra of graphene oxide performed on realistic, thermally equilibrated, structural models that incorporate lattice vacancies and edges along with various oxygen-containing functional groups. Models including adsorbed water are examined as well. Our results show that lattice vacancies lead to important blue and red shifts in the OH stretching and bending bands, respectively, whereas the presence of adsorbed water leaves these shifts largely unaffected. We also find unique infrared features for edge carboxyls resulting from interactions with both nearby functional groups and the graphene lattice. Comparison of the computed vibrational pr...

Local structure analysis in ab initio liquid water

Abstract: Within the framework of density functional theory, the inclusion of exact exchange and non-local van der Waals/dispersion (vdW) interactions is crucial for predicting a microscopic structure of ambient liquid water that quantitatively agrees with experiment. In this work, we have used the local structure index (LSI) order parameter to analyse the local structure in such highly accurate ab initio liquid water. At ambient conditions, the LSI probability distribution, P(I ), was unimodal with most water molecules characterised by more disordered high-density-like local environments. With thermal excitations removed, the resultant bimodal P(I ) in the inherent potential energy surface (IPES) exhibited a 3:1 ratio between high-density- and low-density-like molecules, with the latter forming small connected clusters amid the predominant population. By considering the spatial correlations and hydrogen bond network topologies among water molecules with the same LSI identities, we demonstrate that the signatures o...

Electronic Properties of Molecules and Surfaces with a Self-Consistent Interatomic van der Waals Density Functional

Abstract: How strong is the effect of van der Waals (vdW) interactions on the electronic properties of molecules and extended systems? To answer this question, we derived a fully self-consistent implementation of the density-dependent interatomic vdW functional of Tkatchenko and Scheffler [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 073005 (2009)]. Not surprisingly, vdW self-consistency leads to tiny modifications of the structure, stability, and electronic properties of molecular dimers and crystals. However, unexpectedly large effects were found in the binding energies, distances, and electrostatic moments of highly polarizable alkali-metal dimers. Most importantly, vdW interactions induced complex and sizable electronic charge redistribution in the vicinity of metallic surfaces and at organic-metal interfaces. As a result, a substantial influence on the computed work functions was found, revealing a nontrivial connection between electrostatics and long-range electron correlation effects.

The phase diagram of high-pressure superionic ice

Abstract: Superionic ice is a special group of ice phases at high temperature and pressure, which may exist in ice-rich planets and exoplanets. In superionic ice liquid hydrogen coexists with a crystalline oxygen sublattice. At high pressures, the properties of superionic ice are largely unknown. Here we report evidence that from 280 GPa to 1.3 TPa, there are several competing phases within the close-packed oxygen sublattice. At even higher pressure, the close-packed structure of the oxygen sublattice becomes unstable to a new unusual superionic phase in which the oxygen sublattice takes the P21/c symmetry. We also discover that higher pressure phases have lower transition temperatures. The diffusive hydrogen in the P21/c superionic phase shows strong anisotropic behaviour and forms a quasi-two-dimensional liquid. The ionic conductivity changes abruptly in the solid to close-packed superionic phase transition, but continuously in the solid to P21/c superionic phase transition. At high pressure, water forms superionic ice with an oxygen lattice and melted liquid hydrogens, which could exist on ice-rich planets. Here, Sun et al. predict a new phase of superionic ice where the hydrogens preferentially diffuse in two-dimensions within oxygen superlattice with the P21/c symmetry.

Local Structure Analysis in $Ab$ $Initio$ Liquid Water

Abstract: Within the framework of density functional theory, the inclusion of exact exchange and non-local van der Waals/dispersion (vdW) interactions is crucial for predicting a microscopic structure of ambient liquid water that quantitatively agrees with experiment. In this work, we have used the local structure index (LSI) order parameter to analyze the local structure in such highly accurate $ab$ $initio$ liquid water. At ambient conditions, the LSI probability distribution, P($I$), was unimodal with most water molecules characterized by more disordered high-density-like local environments. With thermal excitations removed, the resultant bimodal P($I$) in the inherent potential energy surface (IPES) exhibited a 3:1 ratio between high- and low-density-like molecules, with the latter forming small connected clusters amid the predominant population. By considering the spatial correlations and hydrogen bond network topologies $among$ water molecules with the same LSI identities, we demonstrate that the signatures of the experimentally observed low- (LDA) and high-density (HDA) amorphous phases of ice are present in the IPES of ambient liquid water. Analysis of the LSI autocorrelation function uncovered a persistence time of $\sim$ 4 ps---a finding consistent with the fact that natural thermal fluctuations are responsible for transitions between these distinct yet transient local aqueous environments in ambient liquid water.

Analytical nuclear gradients for the range-separated many-body dispersion model of noncovalent interactions

Abstract: Accurate treatment of the long-range electron correlation energy, including van der Waals (vdW) or dispersion interactions, is essential for describing the structure, dynamics, and function of a wide variety of systems. Among the most accurate models for including dispersion into density functional theory (DFT) is the range-separated many-body dispersion (MBD) method [A. Ambrossetti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 140, 18A508 (2014)], in which the correlation energy is modeled at short-range by a semi-local density functional and at long-range by a model system of coupled quantum harmonic oscillators. In this work, we develop analytical gradients of the MBD energy with respect to nuclear coordinates, including all implicit coordinate dependencies arising from the partitioning of the charge density into Hirshfeld effective volumes. To demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of these MBD gradients for geometry optimizations of systems with intermolecular and intramolecular interactions, we optimized conformers of the benzene dimer and isolated small peptides with aromatic side-chains. We find excellent agreement with the wavefunction theory reference geometries of these systems (at a fraction of the computational cost) and find that MBD consistently outperforms the popular TS and D3(BJ) dispersion corrections. To demonstrate the performance of the MBD model on a larger system with supramolecular interactions, we optimized the C$_{60}$@C$_{60}$H$_{28}$ buckyball catcher host-guest complex. Finally, we find that neglecting the implicit nuclear coordinate dependence arising from the charge density partitioning, as has been done in prior numerical treatments, leads to an unacceptable error in the MBD forces, with relative errors of ~20% (on average) that can extend well beyond 100%.