Atomistic simulations of the FeK-edge EXAFS in FeF3using molecular dynamics and reverse Monte Carlo methods

Atomistic simulations of the experimental Fe K-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) of rhombohedral (space group ) FeF3 at T = 300 K were performed using classical molecular dynamics and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) methods. The use of two complementary theoretical approaches allowed us to account accurately for thermal disorder effects in EXAFS and to validate the developed force-field model, which was constructed as a sum of two-body Buckingham-type (Fe–F and F–F), three-body harmonic (Fe–F–Fe) and Coulomb potentials. We found that the shape of the Fe K-edge EXAFS spectrum of FeF3 is a more sensitive probe for the determination of potential parameters than the values of stru…

Investigation of precipitate in an austenitic ODS steel containing a carbon-rich process control agent

This work has been carried out within the framework of the German Helmholtz Association and has received funding from the topic “Materials Research for the Future Energy Supply”. The work of M. Parish and Rainer Ziegler is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to the team of the chemical laboratory at the KIT for performing the chemical analysis. The help of the beamline staff at ELETTRA (project 20140052 ) synchrotron radiation facility is acknowledged. We acknowledge support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Open Access Publishing Fund of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and first-principles study of SnWO4

The local atomic structure in α- and β-SnWO 4 was studied bysynchrotron radiation W L 3 -edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy at 10 and 300 K.Strongly distorted WO 6 octahedra were found in α-SnWO 4 , whereas nearly regularWO 4 tetrahedra were observed in β-SnWO 4 , confirming previous results. Thestructural results obtained were supported by the first-principles calculations,suggesting that the second-order Jahn-Teller effect is responsible for octahedraldistortion.

Modeling of a tunable-barrier non-adiabatic electron pump beyond the decay cascade model

We generalize the decay cascade model of charge capture statistics for a tunable-barrier non-adiabatic electron pump dominated by the backtunneling error at the quantum dot decoupling stage. The energy scales controlling the competition between the thermal and the dynamical mechanisms for accurate trapped charge quantization are discussed. Empirical fitting formula incorporating quantum dot re-population errors due to particle-hole fluctuations in the source lead is suggested and tested against an exactly solvable rate equation model.

Probing NiO nanocrystals by EXAFS spectroscopy

Abstract The structure relaxation in nanocrystalline NiO (nano-NiO, 13 nm crystallite size) has been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ni K-edge at 300 K. Conventional single-scattering analysis of the EXAFS signals from the first two coordination shells showed a lattice volume expansion by about 1% and a contraction of the Ni–O bonds by about 0.5% in nano-NiO compared to microcrystalline NiO. A more sophisticated approach, based on a combination of classical molecular dynamics and ab initio multiple-scattering EXAFS theory, allowed us to interpret both static relaxation and lattice dynamics in nano-NiO.

Disappearance of correlations in the atom motion upon hydrogen intercalation into ReO3lattice

The influence of hydrogen intercalation on the local structure of rhenium trioxide is studied in-situ by the Re L3-edge EXAFS spectroscopy and analysed using a novel approach, based on the use of evolutionary algorithm and wavelet transform. The proposed method allows us to perform accurate EXAFS analysis within the multiple-scattering approach taking into account contributions from outer coordination shells and to access the information on correlations in atomic thermal motion.

Local Structure of Multiferroic $\mathrm{MnWO_4}$ and $\mathrm{Mn_{ 0.7} Co_{0.3}WO_4}$ Revealed by the Evolutionary Algorithm

A novel reverse Monte Carlo/evolutionary algorithm scheme was applied to the analysis of the W L3-edge and Mn(Co) K-edges EXAFS spectra from multiferroic MnWO4 and Mn0.7Co0.3WO4. A 3D structural model, consistent with the experimental data, was obtained, and the influence of composition and temperature on the local structure of tungstates is discussed.

Gigahertz Single-Electron Pumping Mediated by Parasitic States

In quantum metrology, semiconductor single-electron pumps are used to generate accurate electric currents with the ultimate goal of implementing the emerging quantum standard of the ampere. Pumps based on electrostatically defined tunable quantum dots (QDs) have thus far shown the most promising performance in combining fast and accurate charge transfer. However, at frequencies exceeding approximately 1 GHz, the accuracy typically decreases. Recently, hybrid pumps based on QDs coupled to trap states have led to increased transfer rates due to tighter electrostatic confinement. Here, we operate a hybrid electron pump in silicon obtained by coupling a QD to multiple parasitic states, and achi…

Origin of Pressure-Induced Metallization in Cu 3 N: An X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study

The authors are grateful to Professor Alain Polian for providing the NDAC cell.

Neural Network Approach for Characterizing Structural Transformations by X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy

AIF acknowledge support by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Grant No. DE-FG02 03ER15476. AIF acknowledges support by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program through LDRD 18-047 of Brookhaven National Laboratory under U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DE-SC0012704 for initiating his research in machine learning methods. The help of the beamline staff at ELETTRA (project 20160412) synchrotron radiation facility is acknowledged. RMC-EXAFS and MD-EXAFS simulations were performed on the LASC cluster-type computer at Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia.

The Use of X-ray Absorption Spectra for Validation of Classical Force-Field Models

Abstract Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are two complementary techniques widely used to study the atomic structure of materials. Their combined use, known as the MD-EXAFS approach, allows one to access the structural information, encoded in EXAFS, far beyond the nearest coordination shells and to validate the accuracy of the interaction potential models. In this study we demonstrate the use of the MD-EXAFS method for a validation of several force-field models on an example of the cubic-perovskite SrTiO3 and hexagonal wurtzite-type ZnO crystals.

Thermal disorder and correlation effects in anti-perovskite-type copper nitride

This work has been supported by the Latvian National Research Program IMIS2. The EXAFS experiment has been financed from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No. 226716 (Project I-20100098 EC). J.T. also gratefully acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation under the DMREF program Grant No. CHE-1534184.

Quantum fluctuations and coherence in high-precision single-electron capture.

The phase of a single quantum state is undefined unless the history of its creation provides a reference point. Thus quantum interference may seem hardly relevant for the design of deterministic single-electron sources which strive to isolate individual charge carriers quickly and completely. We provide a counterexample by analyzing the non-adiabatic separation of a localized quantum state from a Fermi sea due to a closing tunnel barrier. We identify the relevant energy scales and suggest ways to separate the contributions of quantum non-adiabatic excitation and backtunneling to the rare non-capture events. In the optimal regime of balanced decay and non-adiabaticity, our simple electron tr…

Molecular dynamics simulations of EXAFS in germanium

AbstractClassical molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for crystalline germanium with the aim to estimate the thermal effects within the first three coordination shells and their influence on the single-scattering and multiple-scattering contributions to the Ge K-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS).

Temperature-dependent EXAFS study of the local structure and lattice dynamics in cubic Y2O3

The local structure and lattice dynamics in cubic Y2O3were studied at the YK-edge by X-ray absorption spectroscopy in the temperature range from 300 to 1273 K. The temperature dependence of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure was successfully interpreted using classical molecular dynamics and a novel reverse Monte Carlo method, coupled with the evolutionary algorithm. The obtained results allowed the temperature dependence of the yttria atomic structure to be followed up to ∼6 Å and to validate two force-field models.

Interpretation of the Cu K-edge EXAFS spectra of Cu3N using ab initio molecular dynamics

Financial support provided by ERDF project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/l/16/147 (1.1.1.2/16/I/001) under the activity “Post-doctoral research aid” realized at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia is greatly acknowledged. This work was supported by a grant from the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) under the project ID s681 .

Effect of cobalt doping on the local structure and dynamics of multiferroic MnWO4and Mn0.7Co0.3WO4

The local atomic structure and dynamics in multiferroic MnWO4 and Mn0.7Co0.3WO4 have been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co(Mn) K-edge and W L3-edge. The analysis of the first coordination shell of metal ions using single-shell Gaussian approximation and regularization-like method allowed us to determine a distortion of Mn(Co)O6 and WO6 octahedra. It was found that the local environment of Co2+ ions in Mn0.7Co0.3WO4 is close to that in CoWO4, whereas the presence of cobalt ions reduces the distortion of MnO6 octahedra in comparison with pure MnWO4.

Local structure of copper nitride revealed by EXAFS spectroscopy and a reverse Monte Carlo/evolutionary algorithm approach

Physica scripta 91(5), 054003 (2016). doi:10.1088/0031-8949/91/5/054003

Amorphous p-Type Conducting Zn-x Ir Oxide (x > 0.13) Thin Films Deposited by Reactive Magnetron Cosputtering

Zinc-iridium oxide (Zn-Ir-O) thin films have been demonstrated as a p-type conducting material. However, the stability of p-type conductivity with respect to chemical composition or temperature is still unclear. In this study we discuss the local atomic structure and the electrical properties of Zn-Ir-O films in the large Ir concentration range. The films are deposited by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering at two different substrate temperatures-without intentional heating and at 300 {\deg}C. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis reveals that strongly disordered ZnO4 tetrahedra are the main Zn complexes in Zn-Ir-O films with up to 67.4 at% Ir. As the Ir concentration in…

Wavelet data analysis of EXAFS spectra

Abstract The application of wavelet transform to the analysis of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) from perovskite-type compounds is presented on the example of the Re L 3 -edge in ReO 3 and Co K-edge in LaCoO 3 . We propose a modified wavelet transform procedure, which allows better discrimination of the overlapped contributions into the EXAFS signal.

Local structure of A-atom in ABO3 perovskites studies by RMC-EXAFS

The measurements of Sr K-edge XAFS were performed under the approval of Proposal No. 97G042 of Photon Factory (KEK) and partially supported by the Research Grants of Hirosaki University. This work was supported by Bruce Ravel providing data for BTO. Boby Joseph acknowledges IISc Bangalore and ICTP Trieste for financial support through the award of the IISc-ICTP fellowship.

Local Structure of Multiferroic MnWO4 and Mn0.7Co0.3WO4 Revealed by the Evolutionary Algorithm

A novel reverse Monte Carlo/evolutionary algorithm scheme was applied to the analysis of the W L3-edge and Mn(Co) K-edges EXAFS spectra from multiferroic MnWO4 and Mn0.7Co0.3WO4. A 3D structural model, consistent with the experimental data, was obtained, and the influence of composition and temperature on the local structure of tungstates is discussed.

Pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition in α-SnWO4

In-situ high-pressure W L1 and L3 edges x-ray absorption and mid-infrared spectroscopies complemented by first-principles calculations suggest the existence of pressure- induced insulator-to-metal transition in α-SnWO4 in the range of 5-7 GPa. Its origin is explained by a symmetrization of metal-oxygen octahedra due to a strong interaction of Sn 5s, W 5d and O 2p states along the b-axis direction, leading to a collapse of the band gap.

Reverse Monte Carlo modeling of thermal disorder in crystalline materials from EXAFS spectra

Abstract In this work we present the Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling scheme, designed to probe the local structural and thermal disorder in crystalline materials by fitting the wavelet transform (WT) of the EXAFS signal. Application of the method to the analysis of the Ge K-edge and Re L3-edge EXAFS signals in crystalline germanium and rhenium trioxide, respectively, is presented with special attention to the problem of thermal disorder and related phenomena.

Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Charge Ordering in CaFeO 3 and SrFeO 3 Crystals

EXAFS study of hydrogen intercalation into ReO 3 using the evolutionary algorithm.

In this study we have investigated the influence of hydrogen intercalation on the local atomic structure of rhenium trioxide using a new approach to EXAFS data analysis, based on the evolutionary algorithm (EA). The proposed EA-EXAFS method is an extension of the conventional reverse Monte Carlo approach but is computationally more efficient. It allows one to perform accurate analysis of EXAFS data from distant coordination shells, taking into account both multiple-scattering and disorder (thermal and static) effects. The power of the EA-EXAFS method is first demonstrated on an example of the model system, pure ReO3, and then it is applied to an in situ study of hydrogen bronze HxReO3 upon …

Molecular dynamics and reverse Monte Carlo modeling of scheelite-type AWO4(A = Ca, Sr, Ba) WL3-edge EXAFS spectra

Classical molecular dynamics (MD) and reverse Monte Carlo methods coupled with ab initio multiple-scattering extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) calculations were used for modeling of scheelite-type AWO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) W L 3-edge EXAFS spectra. The two theoretical approaches are complementary and allowed us to perform analysis of full EXAFS spectra. Both methods reproduce well the structure and dynamics of tungstates in the outer coordination shells, however the classical MD simulations underestimate the W–O bond MSRD due to a neglect of quantum zero-point-motion. The thermal vibration amplitudes, correlation effects and anisotropy of the tungstate structure were also estimat…

High-pressure x-ray absorption spectroscopy study of tin tungstates

Room-temperature pressure-dependent (0-25 GPa) x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the W -edges of α-SnWO4 and β-SnWO4 was performed using a dispersive setup and a high-pressure nanodiamond anvil cell. The detailed analysis of experimental x-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine structure data suggests that upon increasing pressure, a displacement of tungsten atoms by about 0.2 A toward the center of the WO6 octahedra occurs in α-SnWO4, whereas the coordination of tungsten atoms changes from tetrahedral to distorted octahedral in β-SnWO4.

Local structure of nanosized tungstates revealed by evolutionary algorithm

Nanostructured tungstates, such as CoWO4 and CuWO4, are very promising catalytic materials, particularly for photocatalytic oxidation of water. The high catalytic activity of tungstate nanoparticles partially is a result of their extremely small sizes, and, consequently, high surface-to-volume ratio. Therefore their properties depend strongly on the atomic structure, which differ significantly from that of the bulk material. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a powerful technique to address the challenging problem of the local structure determination in nanomaterials. In order to fully exploit the structural information contained in X-ray absorption spectra, in this study we employ a novel ev…

Temperature dependence of the local structure and lattice dynamics of wurtzite-type ZnO

Temperature-dependent (10–300 K) Zn K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra of polycrystalline wurtzitetype ZnO were analyzed using ab initio multiple-scattering theory and taking into account anisotropy of the crystallographic structure and thermal disorder. We employed two different simulation approaches: classical molecular dynamics (MD) and reverse Monte Carlo coupled with an evolutionary algorithm (RMC/EA method). The accuracy of several force-field models, which are commonly used in the MD simulations of bulk and nanostructured ZnO, was tested based on a comparison between the experimental and simulated Zn K-edge EXAFS spectra. It was found that available force…

Study of Copper Nitride Thin Film Structure

Abstract X-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Cu K-edge were used to study the atomic structure in copper nitride (Cu3N) thin films. Textured nanocrystalline films are obtained upon dc magnetron sputtering on substrates heated at about 190 °C, whereas amorphous films having strongly disordered structure already in the second coordination shell of copper are deposited in the absence of heating.

Local Structure Studies of Ti for SrTi16O3 and SrTi18O3 by Advanced X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Data Analysis

Strontium titanate is a model quantum paraelectric in which in the region of dominating quantum statistics the ferroelectric instability is inhibited due to nearly complete compensation of the harmonic contribution into ferroelectric soft mode frequency by the zero-point motion contribution. The enhancement of atomic masses by the substitution of 18O for 16O decreases the zero-point atomic motion and low-T ferroelectricity in SrTi18O3 is realized. In this study we report on the local structure of Ti in SrTi16O3 and SrTi18O3 by Ti K-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure measurements in temperature range 6 – 300 K.

EXAFS study of the local structure of crystalline and nanocrystalline Y2O3using evolutionary algorithm method

Temperature-dependent local structure and lattice dynamics of yttria (Y2O3) were studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Novel method, which combines the reverse Monte Carlo and evolutionary algorithm techniques, was applied for the analysis of extended X-ray absorption fine structure at the Y K-edge. This approach allowed us to reconstruct 3D atomic structure models of crystalline and nanocrystalline Y2O3.

Effect of Pressure and Temperature on the Local Structure and Lattice Dynamics of Copper(II) Oxide

Abstract Microcrystalline and nanocrystalline (6 nm) CuO were studied in situ by the Cu K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy as a function of pressure (0-20 GPa) and temperature (10-300 K). Pressure dependence of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) was interpreted within the full-multiple-scattering formalism based on the relaxed atomic structure determined by ab initio linear combination of atomic orbital (LCAO) calculations. Temperature dependence of the mean-square relative displacement (MSRD) for the four shortest Cu–O distances was obtained from the analysis of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and described by the correlated Einstein model with the characterist…

ODS steel raw material local structure analysis using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are promising materials for fusion power reactors, concentrated solar power plants, jet engines, chemical reactors as well as for hydrogen production from thermolysis of water. In this study we used X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Fe and Cr K-edges as a tool to get insight into the local structure of ferritic and austenitic ODS steels around Fe and Cr atoms and its transformation during mechanical alloying process. Using the analysis of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) we found that for austenitic samples a transformation of ferritic steel to austenitic steel is detectable after …

Treatment of disorder effects in X-ray absorption spectra beyond the conventional approach

The contribution of static and thermal disorder is one of the largest challenges for the accurate determination of the atomic structure from the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). Although there are a number of generally accepted approaches to solve this problem, which are widely used in the EXAFS data analysis, they often provide less accurate results when applied to outer coordination shells around the absorbing atom. In this case, the advanced techniques based on the molecular dynamics and reverse Monte Carlo simulations are known to be more appropriate: their strengths and weaknesses are reviewed here.

Femtometer accuracy EXAFS measurements: Isotopic effect in the first, second and third coordination shells of germanium

The analysis of the EXAFS signals from 70Ge and 76Ge has evidenced the low-temperature effect of isotopic mass difference on the amplitude of relative atomic vibrations. This effect is reflected in the difference of the Debye-Waller factors of the first three coordination shells, and on the difference of nearest-neighbour average interatomic distances, evaluated with femtometer accuracy. The experimental results are in agreement with theoretical expectations.

Analysis of extended x-ray absorption fine structure data from copper tungstate by the reverse Monte Carlo method

The static disorder and lattice dynamics of crystalline materials can be efficiently studied using reverse Monte Carlo simulations of extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectra (EXAFS). In this work we demonstrate the potentiality of this method on an example of copper tungstate CuWO4. The simultaneous analysis of the Cu K and W L3 edges EXAFS spectra allowed us to follow local structure distortion as a function of temperature.

External pressure and composition effects on the atomic and electronic structure of SnWO4

The atomic and electronic structure of tin tungstates, α-SnWO4, α-Sn1.03W0.99O4 and β-SnWO4 ,w as studied by the W L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and first-principles linear combination of atomic orbital (LCAO) calculations based on the hybrid exchange-correlation density functional (DFT)/ Hartree–Fock (HF) scheme. It was found that the crystal structure of both α-phases is built up of strongly distorted WO6 octahedra, whereas that of β-SnWO4 is composed of nearly regular WO4 tetrahedra. In addition, there are distorted SnO6 octahedra in both α- and β-phases. The metal–oxygen octahedra distortion is explained by the second-order Jahn–Teller effect. The influence of pressure on the st…

X-ray absorption spectroscopy of Cu-doped $WO_{3}$ films for use inelectrochemical metallization cell memory

Abstract We have performed the first synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS/XANES) study of the local atomic and electronic structure around Cu and W ions in WO 3 /Cu/WO 3 /Si and WO 3 /Cu/Si multilayered structures, aimed for the application in the electrochemical metallization cell memory. The influence of low-temperature annealing at 135 °C has been investigated in details, and a structural model of Cu-doped WO 3 films is proposed.

Local dynamics and phase transition in quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 studied by Ti K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Strontium titanate is a model quantum paraelectric in which, in the region of dominating quantum statistics, the ferroelectric instability is inhibited due to nearly complete compensation of the harmonic contribution into ferroelectric soft mode frequency by the zero- point motion contribution. The enhancement of atomic masses by the substitution of 16 O with 18O decreases the zero-point atomic motion, and low-T ferroelectricity in SrTi18O3 is realized. In this study we report on the local structure of Ti in SrTi16O3 and SrTi18O3 investigated by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure measurements in the temperature range 6 - 300 K.

Counting statistics for electron capture in a dynamic quantum dot

We report non-invasive single-charge detection of the full probability distribution $P_n$ of the initialization of a quantum dot with $n$ electrons for rapid decoupling from an electron reservoir. We analyze the data in the context of a model for sequential tunneling pinch-off, which has generic solutions corresponding to two opposing mechanisms. One limit considers sequential "freeze out" of an adiabatically evolving grand canonical distribution, the other one is an athermal limit equivalent to the solution of a generalized decay cascade model. We identify the athermal capturing mechanism in our sample, testifying to the high precision of our combined theoretical and experimental methods. …

Local structure relaxation in nanosized tungstates

Abstract The atomic structure of nanosized and microcrystalline tungstates MeWO 4 (Me=Co, Ni, Cu, Zn), synthesized by co-precipitation technique, has been studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the W L 3 -edge and Co/Ni/Cu/Zn K-edges, x-ray diffraction, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. The distortion of metal–oxygen octahedra is caused by the electron–lattice coupling and is further enhanced in nanosized tungstates due to formation of the double tungsten–oxygen bonds at the nanoparticle surface.

Local structure and dynamics of wurtzite‐type ZnO from simulation‐based EXAFS analysis

Conventional methods of EXAFS data analysis are often limited to the nearest coordination shells of the absorbing atom due to the difficulties in accurate accounting for the so-called multiple-scattering effects. Besides, it is often difficult to resolve the non-equivalent groups of atoms in a single coordination shell due to strong correlation between structural parameters. In this study we overcome these problems by applying two different simulation-based methods, i.e., classical molecular dynamics (MD) and reverse Monte with evolutionary algorithm (EA), to the analysis of the Zn K-edge EXAFS data for wurtzite-type bulk ZnO. The RMC/EA-EXAFS method allowed us to separate the contributions…