5,719 research outputs found
Thermodynamically Stable One-Component Metallic Quasicrystals
Classical density-functional theory is employed to study finite-temperature
trends in the relative stabilities of one-component quasicrystals interacting
via effective metallic pair potentials derived from pseudopotential theory.
Comparing the free energies of several periodic crystals and rational
approximant models of quasicrystals over a range of pseudopotential parameters,
thermodynamically stable quasicrystals are predicted for parameters approaching
the limits of mechanical stability of the crystalline structures. The results
support and significantly extend conclusions of previous ground-state
lattice-sum studies.Comment: REVTeX, 13 pages + 2 figures, to appear, Europhys. Let
New results for the degree/diameter problem
The results of computer searches for large graphs with given (small) degree
and diameter are presented. The new graphs are Cayley graphs of semidirect
products of cyclic groups and related groups. One fundamental use of our
``dense graphs'' is in the design of efficient communication network
topologies.Comment: 15 page
Exploring the role of messenger effects and feedback frames in promoting uptake of energy-efficient technologies
The persuasive potential for varying messenger types and feedback frames to increase pro-environmental choice was explored in a 2 (feedback frame: financial vs. environmental) × 5 (messenger type: neighbour, government, industry, utilities vs. control) factorial design experiment. Using the context of home heating choice, 493 non-student participants were given information on either the financial or environmental benefits of selecting an energy-efficient heat pump versus a standard boiler, as described by one of four messenger types (versus a no-messenger control). Likelihood of selecting the ‘green’ technology was assessed, as well as any carry-over effects on real-life behavioural intentions. Additionally, we assessed the messenger attributes that appeared to be most important in this context, in terms of whether sources that were perceived to be trustworthy, knowledgeable, or a combination of both dimensions, would hold greater sway over preference formation. Overall, no evidence was found for any impact of messenger type on either preference formation or behavioural intentions. However, message content (i.e. how information on the benefits of pro-environmental choice was framed), was found to have substantial impact on behaviour; with the financial versus environmental decision frame being significantly more likely to encourage uptake of the energy-efficient versus standard technology. We suggest that the level of processing required for the kinds of large-scale purchase decisions we consider here may explain the lack of any messenger effect on choice behaviour. Implications for the development of behaviour change interventions designed to promote consideration of energy-efficient technologies in this context are discussed
CO adsorption on metal surfaces: a hybrid functional study with plane wave basis set
We present a detailed study of the adsorption of CO on Cu, Rh, and Pt (111)
surfaces in top and hollow sites. The study has been performed using the local
density approximation, the gradient corrected functional PBE, and the hybrid
Hartree-Fock density functionals PBE0 and HSE03 within the framework of
generalized Kohn-Sham density functional theory using a plane-wave basis set.
As expected, the LDA and GGA functionals show a tendency to favor the hollow
sites, at variance with experimental findings that give the top site as the
most stable adsorption site. The PBE0 and HSE03 functionals reduce this
tendency. In fact, they predict the correct adsorption site for Cu and Rh but
fail for Pt. But even in this case, the hybrid functional destabilizes the
hollow site by 50 meV compared to the PBE functional. The results of the total
energy calculations are presented along with an analysis of the projected
density of states.Comment: 32 pages, 6 tables, 3 figures. (Re)Submitted to Phys. Rev. B; LDA
results added in the tables; minor changes in the tex
Freezing of Simple Liquid Metals
Freezing of simple liquid metals and the relative stabilities of competing
crystalline solids are investigated using thermodynamic perturbation theory,
the interactions between ions being modeled by effective pair potentials
derived from pseudopotential theory. The ionic free energy of the solid phase
is calculated, to first order in the perturbation potential, using classical
density-functional theory and an accurate approximation to the hard-sphere
radial distribution function. Free energy calculations for Na, Mg, and Al yield
well-defined freezing transitions and structural free energy differences for
bcc, fcc, and hcp crystals in qualitative agreement with experiment.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX with elsart.st
Self-Assembly of Monatomic Complex Crystals and Quasicrystals with a Double-Well Interaction Potential
For the study of crystal formation and dynamics we introduce a simple
two-dimensional monatomic model system with a parametrized interaction
potential. We find in molecular dynamics simulations that a surprising variety
of crystals, a decagonal and a dodecagonal quasicrystal are self-assembled. In
the case of the quasicrystals the particles reorder by phason flips at elevated
temperatures. During annealing the entropically stabilized decagonal
quasicrystal undergoes a reversible phase transition at 65% of the melting
temperature into an approximant, which is monitored by the rotation of the de
Bruijn surface in hyperspace.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. Physical Review Letters, in Press (April 2007
The Structure of Barium in the hcp Phase Under High Pressure
Recent experimental results on two hcp phases of barium under high pressure
show interesting variation of the lattice parameters. They are here interpreted
in terms of electronic structure calculation by using the LMTO method and
generalized pseudopotential theory (GPT) with a NFE-TBB approach. In phase II
the dramatic drop in c/a is an instability analogous to that in the group II
metals but with the transfer of s to d electrons playing a crucial role in Ba.
Meanwhile in phase V, the instability decrease a lot due to the core repulsion
at very high pressure. PACS numbers: 62.50+p, 61.66Bi, 71.15.Ap, 71.15Hx,
71.15LaComment: 29 pages, 8 figure
Structural behavior of uranium dioxide under pressure by LSDA+U calculations
The structural behavior of UO2 under high pressure up to 300GPa has been
studied by first-principles calculations with LSDA+U approximation. The results
show that a pressure-induced structural transition to the cotunnite-type
(orthorhombic Pnma) phase occurs at 38GPa. It agrees well with the
experimentally observed ~42 GPa. An isostructural transition following that is
also predicted to take place from 80 to 130GPa, which has not yet been observed
in experiments. Further high compression beyond 226GPa will result in a
metallic and paramagnetic transition. It corresponds to a volume of 90A^3 per
cell, in good agreement with a previous theoretical analysis in the reduction
of volume required to delocalize 5f states.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
- …