High-precision molecular dynamics simulation of UO2-PuO2: pair potentials comparison in UO2

Our series of articles is devoted to high-precision molecular dynamics simulation of mixed actinide-oxide (MOX) fuel in the approximation of rigid ions and pair interactions (RIPI) using high-performance graphics processors (GPU). In this first article 10 most recent and widely used interatomic sets of pair potentials (SPP) are assessed by reproduction of solid phase properties of uranium dioxide (UO2) - temperature dependences of the lattice constant, bulk modulus, enthalpy and heat capacity. Measurements were performed with 1K accuracy in a wide temperature range from 300K up to melting points. The best results are demonstrated by two recent SPPs MOX-07 and Yakub-09, which both had been fitted to the recommended thermal expansion in the range of temperatures 300-3100K. They reproduce the experimental data better than the widely used SPPs Basak-03 and Morelon-03 at temperatures above 2500K.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 4 table

High-precision molecular dynamics simulation of UO2-PuO2: Anion self-diffusion in UO2

Our series of articles is devoted to high-precision molecular dynamics simulation of mixed actinide-oxide (MOX) fuel in the approximation of rigid ions and pair interactions (RIPI) using high-performance graphics processors (GPU). In this article we study self-diffusion mechanisms of oxygen anions in uranium dioxide (UO2) with the ten recent and widely used sets of interatomic pair potentials (SPP) under periodic (PBC) and isolated (IBC) boundary conditions. Wide range of measured diffusion coefficients (from 10^-3 cm^2/s at melting point down to 10^-12 cm^2/s at 1400 K) made possible a direct comparison (without extrapolation) of the simulation results with the experimental data, which have been known only at low temperatures (T < 1500 K). A highly detailed (with the temperature step of 1 K) calculation of the diffusion coefficient allowed us to plot temperature dependences of the diffusion activation energy and its derivative, both of which show a wide (~1000 K) superionic transition region confirming the broad lambda-peaks of heat capacity obtained by us earlier. It is shown that regardless of SPP the anion self-diffusion in model crystals without surface or artificially embedded defects goes on via exchange mechanism, rather than interstitial or vacancy mechanisms suggested by the previous works. The activation energy of exchange diffusion turned out to coincide with the anti-Frenkel defect formation energy calculated by the lattice statics.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 5 table

Molecular dynamics simulation of UO2 nanocrystals surface

In this article we investigated surface of nanocrystals (NC) of uranium dioxide (UO2) using molecular dynamics (MD) under isolated (non-periodic) boundary conditions with the approximation of pair potentials and rigid ions. It is shown that a cubic shape of the model NCs is metastable and the stable equilibrium is reached in the process of structural relaxation to the octahedral shape over a time of 1000 ns (200 million MD steps), which increases with the size of NC. We measured the size dependences of the lattice parameter and the surface energy density for NC of cubic and octahedral shape with volume up to 1000 nm3 (50000 particles) at temperatures of 2200K and 2300K. For the surfaces {100} and {111} we obtained the energy density {\sigma}100=1.602\pm0.016 J/m^2, {\sigma}111=1.137\pm0.032 J/m^2 and surface tension constant {\gamma}111=0.875\pm0.008 J/m^2. The resulting ratio of {\sigma}100/{\sigma}111=1.408\pm0.042 within the error coincides with the experimental value of 1.42\pm0.05 measured for microscopic cavities in monocrystals of UO2.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 5 table

Investigation of cation self-diffusion mechanisms in UO2+-x using molecular dynamics

This article is devoted to investigation of cation self-diffusion mechanisms, taking place in UO2, UO2+x, and UO2-x crystals simulated under periodic (PBC) and isolated (IBC) boundary conditions using the method of molecular dynamics in the approximation of rigid ions and pair interactions. It is shown that under PBC the cations diffuse via an exchange mechanism (with the formation of Frenkel defects) with activation energy of 15-22 eV, while under IBC there is competition between the exchange and vacancy (via Schottky defects) diffusion mechanisms, which give the effective activation energy of 11-13 eV near the melting temperature of the simulated UO2.00 nanocrystals. Vacancy diffusion with lower activation energy of 6-7 eV was dominant in the non-stoichiometric crystals UO2.10, UO2.15 and UO1.85. Observations showed that a cation vacancy is accompanied by different number of anion vacancies depending on the deviation from stoichiometry: no vacancies in UO2.15, single vacancy in UO2.00 and four vacancies in UO1.85. The corresponding law of mass action formulas derived within the Lidiard-Matzke model allowed explaining the obtained activation energies and predicting a change in the activation energy within the temperature range of the superionic phase transition. The diffusion of cations on the surface of nanocrystals had activation energy of 3.1-3.6 eV.Comment: 22 pages, 6 tables, 15 figure

High-precision molecular dynamics simulation of UO2-PuO2: superionic transition in uranium dioxide

Our series of articles is devoted to high-precision molecular dynamics simulation of mixed actinide-oxide (MOX) fuel in the rigid ions approximation using high-performance graphics processors (GPU). In this article we assess the 10 most relevant interatomic sets of pair potential (SPP) by reproduction of the Bredig superionic phase transition (anion sublattice premelting) in uranium dioxide. The measurements carried out in a wide temperature range from 300K up to melting point with 1K accuracy allowed reliable detection of this phase transition with each SPP. The {\lambda}-peaks obtained are smoother and wider than it was assumed previously. In addition, for the first time a pressure dependence of the {\lambda}-peak characteristics was measured, in a range from -5 GPa to 5 GPa its amplitudes had parabolic plot and temperatures had linear (that is similar to the Clausius-Clapeyron equation for melting temperature).Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Real-space renormalization group study of the anisotropic antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model of spin S=1 on a honeycomb lattice

The real-space RG approach is applied to study critical temperatures of system consisting of interacting spin chains of spin S=1 with an inner antiferromagnetic exchange which form a honeycomb crystal lattice. Using anisotropic Heisenberg model we calculate critical temperature as a function of anisotropic parameter and the ratio of interchain and intrachain interactions. A comparison our results with those obtained from RGRS calculations for the same model of spin-1/2 on a square lattice is given

High-Precision Molecular Dynamics Simulation of UO2-PuO 2: Pair Potentials Comparison in UO2

Our series of articles is devoted to high-precision molecular dynamics simulation of mixed actinide-oxide (MOX) fuel in the approximation of rigid ions and pair interactions (RIPI) using high-performance graphics processors (GPU). In this first article ten most recent and widely used interatomic sets of pair potentials (SPP) are assessed by reproduction of solid phase properties of uranium dioxide (UO2) - temperature dependences of the lattice constant, bulk modulus, enthalpy and heat capacity. Measurements were performed with 1 K accuracy in a wide temperature range from 300 K up to melting points. The best results are demonstrated by two recent SPPs MOX-07 and Yakub-09, which both had been fitted to the recommended thermal expansion in the range of temperatures 300-3100 K. They reproduce the experimental data better than the widely used SPPs Basak-03 and Morelon-03 at temperatures above 2500 K. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Real-Space Renormalization Group Study of the Anisotropic Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg Model of Spin S = 1 on a Honeycomb Lattice

The real-space renormalization group approach is applied to study critical temperatures of a system consisting of interacting spin chains of spin S = 1, with an inner antiferromagnetic exchange, which form a honeycomb crystal lattice. Using the anisotropic Heisenberg model we calculate the critical temperature as a function of the anisotropic parameter and the ratio of the interchain and intrachain interactions. A comparison our results with those obtained from RSRG calculations for the same model of spin-1/2 on a square lattice is given. © 2005 IOP Publishing Ltd

Quantum Dissipation Theory of Slow Magnetic Relaxation Mediated by Domain-Wall Motion in the One-Dimensional Chain Compound [Mn (hfac)2 BN OH]

Based on a quantum dissipation theory of open systems, we present a theoretical study of slow dynamics of magnetization for the ordered state of the molecule-based magnetic complex [Mn (hfac)2 BN OH] composed from antiferromagnetically coupled ferrimagnetic (5 2,1) spin chains. Experimental investigations of the magnetization process in pulsed fields have shown that this compound exhibits a metamagnetic AF-FI transition at a critical field in the order of the interchain coupling. A strong frequency dependence for the ac susceptibility has been revealed in the vicinity of the AF-FI transition and was associated with an AF-FI interface kink motion. We model these processes by a field-driven domain-wall motion along the field-unfavorable chains correlated with a dissipation effect due to a magnetic system-bath coupling. The calculated longitudinal magnetization has a two-step relaxation after the field is switched off and are found in good agreement with the experiment. The relaxation time determined from the imaginary part of the model ac susceptibility agrees qualitatively with that found from the remanent magnetization data. © 2006 The American Physical Society.The authors would like to thank E. Z. Kuchinskii for discussions. This work was partly supported by Grant No. NREC-005 of US CRDF Civilian Research and Development Foundation. Two of the authors V.E.S. and A.S.B. thank the Foundation Dynasty Moscow for support

Quantum Dissipation Theory of Slow Magnetic Relaxation Mediated by Domain-Wall Motion in the One-Dimensional Chain Compound [Mn (hfac)2 BN OH]

Based on a quantum dissipation theory of open systems, we present a theoretical study of slow dynamics of magnetization for the ordered state of the molecule-based magnetic complex [Mn (hfac)2 BN OH] composed from antiferromagnetically coupled ferrimagnetic (5 2,1) spin chains. Experimental investigations of the magnetization process in pulsed fields have shown that this compound exhibits a metamagnetic AF-FI transition at a critical field in the order of the interchain coupling. A strong frequency dependence for the ac susceptibility has been revealed in the vicinity of the AF-FI transition and was associated with an AF-FI interface kink motion. We model these processes by a field-driven domain-wall motion along the field-unfavorable chains correlated with a dissipation effect due to a magnetic system-bath coupling. The calculated longitudinal magnetization has a two-step relaxation after the field is switched off and are found in good agreement with the experiment. The relaxation time determined from the imaginary part of the model ac susceptibility agrees qualitatively with that found from the remanent magnetization data. © 2006 The American Physical Society.The authors would like to thank E. Z. Kuchinskii for discussions. This work was partly supported by Grant No. NREC-005 of US CRDF Civilian Research and Development Foundation. Two of the authors V.E.S. and A.S.B. thank the Foundation Dynasty Moscow for support