Free-atom—metal shifts in theM4,5N4,5N4,5Auger spectra of Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, and Te

Nuclear shell model applied to metallic clusters

We apply the nuclear shell model to jellium clusters of up to twenty-one Na atoms. Binding energies, ionization potentials, and photoabsorption cross sections are calculated and compared with mean-field results.

Kohn-Sham Decomposition in Real-Time Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory An Efficient Tool for Analyzing Plasmonic Excitations

The real-time-propagation formulation of time-dependent density-functional theory (RT-TDDFT) is an efficient method for modeling the optical response of molecules and nanoparticles. Compared to the widely adopted linear-response TDDFT approaches based on, e.g., the Casida equations, RT-TDDFT appears, however, lacking efficient analysis methods. This applies in particular to a decomposition of the response in the basis of the underlying single-electron states. In this work, we overcome this limitation by developing an analysis method for obtaining the Kohn-Sham electron-hole decomposition in RT-TDDFT. We demonstrate the equivalence between the developed method and the Casida approach by a be…

Electronic polarizability of small sodium clusters.

Abstract : Small sodium clusters consisting of 1 to 40 atoms are described as spheres of interacting homogeneous electron gas (jellium model). The static electronic polarizability is calculated using self consistent density functional methods. An excellent agreement with recent experimental results is observed.

Plasmon-Induced Direct Hot-Carrier Transfer at Metal-Acceptor Interfaces.

Plasmon-induced hot-carrier transfer from a metal nanostructure to an acceptor is known to occur via two key mechanisms: (i) indirect transfer, where the hot carriers are produced in the metal nanostructure and subsequently transferred to the acceptor, and (ii) direct transfer, where the plasmons decay by directly exciting carriers from the metal to the acceptor. Unfortunately, an atomic-level understanding of the direct-transfer process, especially with regard to its quantification, remains elusive even though it is estimated to be more efficient compared to the indirect-transfer process. This is due to experimental challenges in separating direct from indirect transfer as both processes o…

Theory of hydrogen and helium impurities in metals

A powerful computational scheme is presented for calculating the static properties of light interstitials in metallic hosts. The method entails (i) the construction of the potential-energy field using the quasiatom concept, (ii) the wave-mechanical solution of the impurity distribution ("zero-point motion"), (iii) calculation of the forces exerted on the adjacent host atoms and their displacements, and (iv) iteration to self-consistency. We investigate self-trapping phenomena in bcc and fcc metals in detail, and calculate both the ground and low-lying excited states. Implications of the wave-mechanical or band picture to diffusion mechanisms and inelastic scattering experiments are discusse…

Muon states in uniaxially strained iron

Effects of lattice relaxation, quantum motion, and uniaxial strain on the internal field at a positive-muon site in iron have been calculated. The uniaxial strain gives rise to a statistical shift of the muon population at interstitial sites. The effect of the population shift is found to be primarily responsible for the observed changes in the muon-precession frequency. The theory also predicts a 1T temperature dependence of the frequency shifts. Peer reviewed

Time-dependent density-functional theory in the projector augmented-wave method

We present the implementation of the time-dependent density-functional theory both in linear-response and in time-propagation formalisms using the projector augmented-wave method in real-space grids. The two technically very different methods are compared in the linear-response regime where we found perfect agreement in the calculated photoabsorption spectra. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the two methods as well as their convergence properties. We demonstrate different applications of the methods by calculating excitation energies and excited state Born–Oppenheimer potential surfaces for a set of atoms and molecules with the linear-response method and by calculating nonlinear e…

Computed positron lifetimes in vacancies and vacancy-iron clusters in gold

Abstract Annihilation characteristics are calculated for positrons trapped in clean and impurity decorated vacancy clusters in Au. The positron lifetime depends strongly on the structure of the clusters. In a strongly relaxed vacancy cluster, the lifetime can become smaller than the lifetime in a single vacancy. The substitution of some neighbour atoms of a vacancy cluster by Fe atoms has only a minor effect on the positron lifetimes.

Atoms embedded in an electron gas: Immersion energies

Energies of atoms, H through Ar, embedded in a homogeneous electron gas are calculated within the density-functional scheme as a function of the electron-gas density. The energy-versus-density curves and the induced densities of states are analyzed and discussed in terms of the interaction properties of an atom with its environment. The low-density limit of the immersion energy is related to the electron-atom scattering length. The results should prove useful in detailed investigations of the recently suggested "quasiatom" or "effective-medium" approaches to chemical binding. The lowest-order estimates of the binding energies of diatomic molecules and chemisorbed atoms are obtained. Peer re…

Electronic structure calculations with GPAW: a real-space implementation of the projector augmented-wave method.

Electronic structure calculations have become an indispensable tool in many areas of materials science and quantum chemistry. Even though the Kohn-Sham formulation of the density-functional theory (DFT) simplifies the many-body problem significantly, one is still confronted with several numerical challenges. In this article we present the projector augmented-wave (PAW) method as implemented in the GPAW program package (https://wiki.fysik.dtu.dk/gpaw) using a uniform real-space grid representation of the electronic wavefunctions. Compared to more traditional plane wave or localized basis set approaches, real-space grids offer several advantages, most notably good computational scalability an…

Electronic polarizability of small metal spheres

We present the results of calculations for the ground-state electron structure, static polarizability, and dynamic response of small metal (jellium) spheres in vacuum or embedded in a dielectric. Fully self-consistent time-dependent density-functional methods are used. In particular, the static and dynamic responses to an incident electric field (dipolar polarizability and photoabsorption) are obtained. The results show substantial deviations from either classical or approximate quantum-mechanical solutions, and provide reference data for simplified treatments. Peer reviewed

Positron states in Si and GaAs.

Electronic structure and positron states at vacancies in Si and GaAs

Plasmon Excitations in Mixed Metallic Nanoarrays

Features of the surface plasmon from macroscopic materials emerge in molecular systems, but differentiating collective excitations from single-particle excitations in molecular systems remains elusive. The rich interactions between single-particle electron-hole and collective electron excitations produce phenomena related to the chemical physics aspects within the atomic array. We study the plasmonic properties of atomic arrays of noble (Au, Ag, and Cu) and transition-metal (Pd, Pt) homonuclear chains using time-dependent density functional theory and their Kohn-Sham transition contributions. The response to the electromagnetic radiation is related to both the geometry-dependent confinement…

Computational analysis of positron experiments

A number of applications of the calculational scheme developed by Puska and Nieminen (1982-3) are reported and the predictive power of the scheme is substantiated. Effects on positron parameters of relaxation and of N or H impurities in vacancies in Mo are calculated and employed to analyse recent experiments. Predictions pertaining to H decoration of vacancies in Al and Ni suggest the use of positron lifetime studies of these systems. Positron responses to submicroscopic vacancy clusters decorated with Kr and to large Kr bubbles in Cu are calculated and used to analyse recent experiments. To accomplish this the scheme is generalised to incorporate crystals of inert gas. In turn this makes …

Atomistic Calculations of Positron Surface States

We report on the results of an atomistic, discrete-lattice calculation of positron surface states on the three principal surfaces of Al and Cu. We are able to (i) accurately reproduce the observed values and anisotropy of the binding energies, and (ii) predict the surface state life times. Furthermore, we calculate (iii) the positron lateral diffusion constant, and find it considerably enhanced over the bulk value. We also investigate (iv) the positron trapping at surface vacancies, and (v) the effect of ordered chemisorbed monolayers of oxygen. We find that the oxidation lowers the binding energy and makes the surface state unstable with respect to positronium emission on Al (100) and Al (…

Atoms embedded in an electron gas: Phase shifts and cross sections

The Fermi-level scattering phase shifts and the transport cross sections are reported for atoms embedded in a homogeneous electron gas. The applications of the results are discussed, using the electronic stopping power for slow ions and impurity resistivity as examples. Peer reviewed

Quantum Motion of Chemisorbed Hydrogen on Ni Surfaces

Quantum mechanical energy levels and wave functions have been calculated for the motion of chemisorbed hydrogen atoms on Ni surfaces. The results show considerable quantum effects for the adatom in both the ground and the excited states. The description of the adparticles as being delocalized along the surface offers a novel interpretation of several phenomena, in particular the vibrational excitations. Peer reviewed

Muon states in metals: Recent progress

We report on our results in two interesting questions related to muon spin rotation studies in condensed matter: (i) energetics of muons in metals, including lattice relaxation and zero point motion in self-trapping phenomena, and (ii) systematics of Knight shifts and hyperfine fields.

3d impurities in Al: density functional results

Self-consistent spin density functional calculations have been carried out for 3d transition metal impurities in aluminium. The width of the virtual level decreases as it moves away from the Fermi energy with increasing occupancy. The results are compared with recent XPS measurements.

Electronically induced trapping of hydrogen by impurities in niobium

The binding energies of hydrogen and its isotopes to substitutional impurities Ti, Cr, and V in niobium have been calculated. The hydrogen-metal interaction is based on the effective-medium theory. The wave mechanics of the hydrogenic interstitials are explicity dealt with, and the lattice distortion created by the hydrogen is incorporated through the method of lattice statics. The difference in the electronic structure between impurity and host atoms is shown to be largely responsible for the binding of hydrogen to the impurities. The results are in agreement with recent inelastic neutron scattering experiments. Peer reviewed

Screening of positrons in semiconductors and insulators

Theoretical models are presented for the enhancement of the electron density at a positron in a semiconductor or insulator host. The model better suited for typical semiconductors is based on the many-body theory for the screening of a positron in electron gas. The starting point of the model for insulators is the atomic polarizability. The common parameter in both models is the high-frequency dielectric constant. Moreover, the enhancement depends on the ambient electron density in the semiconductor model and on the unit-cell volume in the insulator model. With use of the models developed, positron lifetimes in perfect semiconductor and insulator crystals have been calculated. In the calcul…

Hydrogen in metals: Quantum aspects

Hydrogen atoms are usually considered chemisorbed at well-defined sites on surfaces. We advocate a completelydifferent view, and demonstrate that chemisorbed hydrogen exhibits pronounced quantum effects. The hydrogen atom is to a large degree delocalized in both ground and excited-stated configurations: a proper description can only be given in terms of hydrogen energy bands. An analogous picture emerges for hydrogen isotopes (including muon) diffusing interstitially in bulk metals. The ground state there corresponds to a self-trapped situation: a localized impurity with an associated lattice distortion field. A powerful computational scheme is presented, which entails (i) the construction …

Plasmon excitations in chemically heterogeneous nanoarrays

| openaire: EC/H2020/838996/EU//RealNanoPlasmon The capability of collective excitations, such as localized surface plasmon resonances, to produce a versatile spectrum of optical phenomena is governed by the interactions within the collective and single-particle responses in the finite system. In many practical instances, plasmonic metallic nanoparticles and arrays are either topologically or chemically heterogeneous, which affects both the constituent transitions and their interactions. Here, the formation of collective excitations in weakly Cu- and Pd-doped Au nanoarrays is described using time-dependent density functional theory. The additional impurity-induced modes in the optical respo…

Positron Surface States on Clean and Oxidized Al and in Surface Vacancies

This Letter reports on the first discrete-lattice calculation of positron surface states on the surfaces of Al. The authors reproduce the observed values and anisotropy of the binding energies on clean surfaces, and predict the surface-state lifetimes. The temperature-independent lateral diffusion constant is calculated. Monovacancies on surfaces are predicted not to trap positrons. The effect of ordered chemisorbed monolayers of oxygen is investigated: Oxidation makes the surface state unstable with respect to positronium emission. Peer reviewed

Role of elastic and electronic interactions in trapping of hydrogen by impurities in transition metals

The interplay between the lattice distortion and the electronic contributions to the trapping of migrating hydrogen isotopes by substitutional impurities is investigated. We use a comprehensive calculational scheme incorporating (i) the effective-medium theory for the electronic interaction, (ii) the lattice Green’s function for elastic coupling, and (iii) the hydrogen quantum motion. The calculations for Ti and Cr impurities in V host show that lattice strain effects dominate. Cr, which otherwise provides an electronic trap site, does not induce trapping when elastic effects are incorporated. The situation in the case of Ti is just the reverse. We find no isotope dependence of the binding …

Comment on the Positron Surface-State Lifetime

Quand on calcule de facon coherente de l'energie de correlation des positons et la vitesse d'annihilation, la theorie explique au moins de facon qualitative la duree de vie de l'etat de surface des positons

Embedded-atom calculations of Auger and x-ray photoemission shifts for metallic elements

Change in self-consistent-field energy density-functional calculations are reported for Auger and core-level binding-energy shifts in sp-bonded metals. The basic model, atom in jellium vacancy, gives good agreement with experiment, especially in the Auger case. The chemical and relaxation contributions to the shifts are discussed, and the extra-atomic response is analyzed in detail, both in position and energy space. The adequacy of the "excited-atom" approach to the energy shifts is discussed. Peer reviewed

Core Polarizabilities in Metals

Linear response formalism within the density-functional scheme is applied in a calculation of core polarizabilities in simple metals. While the core polarizability changes relatively little (around 10%) from its free-ion value in the alkalis, Mg and Al, large increases are found for metals like Ga, Cd, In, and Sn with full d-shells. Low-frequency values for the dynamic polarizability are also obtained.

Hydrogen and deuterium decoration of In-vacancy complexes in nickel.

The quantum-mechanical states of hydrogen and deuterium in pure and defected nickel have been calculated using the effective-medium theory. The defects considered include monovacancies, the substitutional In impurity, a complex of four vacancies, and a complex of an In impurity decorated with a tetrahedron of four vacancies. While the substitutional In impurity does not trap hydrogen, the vacancy and the vacancy complexes with and without In association do. The calculated binding energy to the four vacancy complex is nearly insensitive to the hydrogen isotopic mass and to the In decoration. These results, along with the dependence of the hydrogen binding energy on multiple hydrogen occupanc…

Density-Functional Calculations of Auger and X-Ray Photoemission Shifts for Metallic Elements

ΔSCF density-functional calculations are reported for Auger, and core level binding energy shifts in sp-bonded metals. The basic model, atom-in-jellium-vacancy, gives good agreement with experiment, especially in the Auger case. The chemical and relaxation contributions to the shifts are discussed. The shifts are calculated also by using the thermochemical model and the results obtained are in agreement with experimental data. The applicability of the "excited-atom" approach to the Auger energy shifts is found restricted.