Interaction of sulfur with impurities in bcc iron

In this work, the modeling of the sulfur interaction with substitutional impurities (Mn, P) and interstitial (C) has been carried out. All calculations were performed using the density functional theory in the WIEN2k software package. For the first two coordination spheres, there is a strong repulsion between carbon and sulfur, but in the third relative position, a slight attraction arises between the atoms. When sulfur interacts with manganese, attraction occurs only for the first coordination sphere, while the dissolution energy of both manganese and sulfur decreases. In the case of the S-P interaction, the binding energy is negative, and the dissolution energy of both sulfur and phosphorus decreases for all configurations, although the distance between phosphorus and sulfur increases. It can be assumed that the presence of phosphorus leads to the accumulation of sulfur in the material.

Local-electrostatics-induced oxygen octahedral distortion in perovskite oxides and insight into the structure of Ruddlesden–Popper phases

As the physical properties of ABX3 perovskite-based oxides strongly depend on the geometry of oxygen octahedra containing transition-metal cations, precise identification of the distortion, tilt, and rotation of the octahedra is an essential step toward understanding the structure–property correlation. Here we discover an important electrostatic origin responsible for remarkable Jahn–Teller-type tetragonal distortion of oxygen octahedra during atomic-level direct observation of two-dimensional [AX] interleaved shear faults in five different perovskite-type materials, SrTiO3, BaCeO3, LaCoO3, LaNiO3, and CsPbBr3. When the [AX] sublayer has a net charge, for example [LaO]+ in LaCoO3 and LaNiO3, substantial tetragonal elongation of oxygen octahedra at the fault plane is observed and this screens the strong repulsion between the consecutive [LaO]+ layers. Moreover, our findings on the distortion induced by local charge are identified to be a general structural feature in lanthanide-based An + 1BnX3n + 1-type Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) oxides with charged [LnO]+ (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Eu, and Gd) sublayers, among more than 80 RP oxides and halides with high symmetry. The present study thus demonstrates that the local uneven electrostatics is a crucial factor significantly affecting the crystal structure of complex oxides.

Phosphorene–Fullerene Nanostructures: A First-Principles Study

Hybrid materials formed by carbon fullerenes and layered materials have emerged due to their advantages for several technological applications, and phosphorene arises as a promising two-dimensional semiconductor for C60 adsorption. However, the properties of phosphorenefullerene hybrids remain mainly unexplored. In this work, we employed density functional theory to obtain structures, adsorption energies, electronic/optical properties, binding (AIM, NBO), and energy decomposition analyses (ALMO-EDA) of nanostructures formed by phosphorene and fullerenes (C24 to C70). We find fullerenes form covalent and non-covalent complexes with phosphorene depending on the molecular size, showing remarkable stability even in solution. Two classes of covalent complexes arise by cycloaddition-like reactions: the first class, where short-range effects (charge-transfer and polarization) determines the stability; and the second one, where short-range effects decay to avoid steric repulsion, and balanced longrange forces (electrostatics and dispersion) favors the stability. Otherwise, high-size fullerenes (C50 to C70) only form non-covalent complexes due to strong repulsion at shorter intermolecular distances and lack of dissociation barriers. In terms of electronic properties, fullerenes act as mild p-dopants for phosphorene, increasing its polar character and ability to acquire induced dipole moments (polarizability). Also, small energy-bandgap fullerenes (<0.8 eV) largely increase the phosphorene metallic character. We also note fullerenes retain their donor/acceptor properties upon adsorption, acting as active sites for orbital-controlled interactions and maximizing the phosphorene light absorbance at the UV-Vis region. Finally, we strongly believe our study will inspire future experimental/theoretical studies focused on phosphorene-fullerene uses for storage, anode materials, sensing, phosphorene bandgap engineering, and optoelectronics.<br>

Phosphorene–Fullerene Nanostructures: A First-Principles Study

Hybrid materials formed by carbon fullerenes and layered materials have emerged due to their advantages for several technological applications, and phosphorene arises as a promising two-dimensional semiconductor for C60 adsorption. However, the properties of phosphorenefullerene hybrids remain mainly unexplored. In this work, we employed density functional theory to obtain structures, adsorption energies, electronic/optical properties, binding (AIM, NBO), and energy decomposition analyses (ALMO-EDA) of nanostructures formed by phosphorene and fullerenes (C24 to C70). We find fullerenes form covalent and non-covalent complexes with phosphorene depending on the molecular size, showing remarkable stability even in solution. Two classes of covalent complexes arise by cycloaddition-like reactions: the first class, where short-range effects (charge-transfer and polarization) determines the stability; and the second one, where short-range effects decay to avoid steric repulsion, and balanced longrange forces (electrostatics and dispersion) favors the stability. Otherwise, high-size fullerenes (C50 to C70) only form non-covalent complexes due to strong repulsion at shorter intermolecular distances and lack of dissociation barriers. In terms of electronic properties, fullerenes act as mild p-dopants for phosphorene, increasing its polar character and ability to acquire induced dipole moments (polarizability). Also, small energy-bandgap fullerenes (<0.8 eV) largely increase the phosphorene metallic character. We also note fullerenes retain their donor/acceptor properties upon adsorption, acting as active sites for orbital-controlled interactions and maximizing the phosphorene light absorbance at the UV-Vis region. Finally, we strongly believe our study will inspire future experimental/theoretical studies focused on phosphorene-fullerene uses for storage, anode materials, sensing, phosphorene bandgap engineering, and optoelectronics.<br>

Phosphorene–Fullerene Nanostructures: A First-Principles Study

Hybrid materials formed by carbon fullerenes and layered materials have emerged due to their advantages for several technological applications, and phosphorene arises as a promising two-dimensional semiconductor for C60 adsorption. However, the properties of phosphorenefullerene hybrids remain mainly unexplored. In this work, we employed density functional theory to obtain structures, adsorption energies, electronic/optical properties, binding (AIM, NBO), and energy decomposition analyses (ALMO-EDA) of nanostructures formed by phosphorene and fullerenes (C24 to C70). We find fullerenes form covalent and non-covalent complexes with phosphorene depending on the molecular size, showing remarkable stability even in solution. Two classes of covalent complexes arise by cycloaddition-like reactions: the first class, where short-range effects (charge-transfer and polarization) determines the stability; and the second one, where short-range effects decay to avoid steric repulsion, and balanced longrange forces (electrostatics and dispersion) favors the stability. Otherwise, high-size fullerenes (C50 to C70) only form non-covalent complexes due to strong repulsion at shorter intermolecular distances and lack of dissociation barriers. In terms of electronic properties, fullerenes act as mild p-dopants for phosphorene, increasing its polar character and ability to acquire induced dipole moments (polarizability). Also, small energy-bandgap fullerenes (<0.8 eV) largely increase the phosphorene metallic character. We also note fullerenes retain their donor/acceptor properties upon adsorption, acting as active sites for orbital-controlled interactions and maximizing the phosphorene light absorbance at the UV-Vis region. Finally, we strongly believe our study will inspire future experimental/theoretical studies focused on phosphorene-fullerene uses for storage, anode materials, sensing, phosphorene bandgap engineering, and optoelectronics.<br>

Imaging the Holon string of the Hubbard model

It has been a long-sought goal of quantum simulation to find answers to outstanding questions in condensed-matter physics. A famous example is finding the ground state and the excitations of the two-dimensional (2D) Hubbard model with strong repulsion below half-filling. This system is a doped antiferromagnet and is of great interest because of its possible relation to high-Tcsuperconductors. Theoretically, the fermion excitations of this model are believed to split up into holons and spinons, and a moving holon is believed to leave behind it a string of “wrong” spins that mismatch with the antiferromagnetic background. Here, we show that the properties of the ground-state wavefunction and the holon excitation of the 2D Hubbard model can be revealed in unprecedented detail by using the imaging and the interference technique in atomic physics. They allow one to reveal the Marshall sign of the doped antiferromagnet. The region of wrong Marshall sign indicates the location of the holon string.

Anharmonic lattice dynamics and superionic transition in AgCrSe2

Intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity (κlat) in superionic conductors is of great interest for energy conversion applications in thermoelectrics. Yet, the complex atomic dynamics leading to superionicity and ultralow thermal conductivity remain poorly understood. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the lattice dynamics and superionic diffusion in AgCrSe2 from energy- and momentum-resolved neutron and X-ray scattering techniques, combined with first-principles calculations. Our results settle unresolved questions about the lattice dynamics and thermal conduction mechanism in AgCrSe2. We find that the heat-carrying long-wavelength transverse acoustic (TA) phonons coexist with the ultrafast diffusion of Ag ions in the superionic phase, while the short-wavelength nondispersive TA phonons break down. Strong scattering of phonon quasiparticles by anharmonicity and Ag disorder are the origin of intrinsically low κlat. The breakdown of short-wavelength TA phonons is directly related to the Ag diffusion, with the vibrational spectral weight associated to Ag oscillations evolving into stochastic decaying fluctuations. Furthermore, the origin of fast ionic diffusion is shown to arise from extended flat basins in the energy landscape and collective hopping behavior facilitated by strong repulsion between Ag ions. These results provide fundamental insights into the complex atomic dynamics of superionic conductors.

The properties of neutron star in the framework of relativistic Hartree–Fock model with unitary correlation operator method

The properties of neutron star are studied in the framework of relativistic Hartree–Fock (RHF) model with realistic nucleon–nucleon (NN) interactions, i.e., Bonn potentials. The strong repulsion of NN interaction at short range is properly removed by the unitary correlation operator method (UCOM). Meanwhile, the tensor correlation is neglected due to the very rich neutron environment in neutron star, where the total isospin of two nucleons can be approximately regarded as [Formula: see text]. The equations of state of neutron star matter are calculated in [Formula: see text] equilibrium and charge neutrality conditions. The properties of neutron star, such as mass, radius and tidal deformability, are obtained by solving the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equation and tidal equation. The maximum masses of neutron from Bonn A, B, C potentials are around [Formula: see text]. The radius are [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]km at [Formula: see text], respectively. The corresponding tidal deformabilities are [Formula: see text]. All of these properties are satisfied with the recent observables from the astronomical and gravitational wave devices and are consistent with the results from the relativistic Brueckner–Hartree–Fock model.

Tunneling of Two Interacting Fermions

We consider two interacting atoms subject to a one-dimensional anharmonic trap and magnetic field gradient. This system has been recently investigated by the Heidelberg group in the experiment on two 6Li atoms. In the present paper the tunneling of two cold 6Li atoms, initially prepared in the center-of-mass and relative motion excited state, is explored and full time-dependent simulation of the tunneling dynamics is performed. The dynamics is analyzed for the interatomic coupling strength ranging from strong attraction to strong repulsion.