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At least 73 records · Page 4

The protonation of N2O reexamined - A case study on the reliability of various electron correlation methods for minima and transition states

The protonation of N2O and the intramolecular proton transfer in N2OH(+) are studied using various basis sets and a variety of methods, including second-order many-body perturbation theory (MP2), singles and doubles coupled cluster (CCSD), the augmented coupled cluster (CCSD/T/), and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) methods. For geometries, MP2 leads to serious errors even for HNNO(+); for the transition state, only CCSD/T/ produces a reliable geometry due to serious nondynamical correlation effects. The proton affinity at 298.15 K is estimated at 137.6 kcal/mol, in close agreement with recent experimental determinations of 137.3 +/- 1 kcal/mol.

Martin, J. M. L.

A Correlative Electron Microscopy Study of a Ru-rich Metal Grain from a Calcium-aluminum-rich Inclusion

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) are sub-mm to cm-sized objects composed of highly refractory Ca- and Al-rich mineral phases, hosted in chondritic meteorites. The component minerals of CAIs were thermodynamically predicted to be condense at high temperatures in the cooling solar nebula. Isotopic analyses place the age of these objects at 4.567 Ga, making them the first formed solids in our solar system. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the Ca- and Al-rich minerals serve as imprints of the thermochemical environments in which they formed. Therefore, detailed microstructural analyses of CAIs can provide insight into the processes that prevailed in the early solar system.

Tarunika Ramprasad

Correlation-driven topological band inversion in VSe 2

Recent spectroscopic studies have uncovered topological surface states and band inversion in 1⁢T−VSe 2 , positioning this material at the intersection of correlated electron physics and nontrivial band topology. While previous interpretations attribute these features to surface strain, the microscopic origin of the topological band structure remains unresolved. Here, we present an alternative explanation based on electronic correlations, showing that a negative effective Hubbard interaction (𝑈 eff < 0) applied to the Se 4p orbitals can reproduce the experimentally observed band inversion at both the Γ and 𝑀 points. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations with orbital-selective interactions, we demonstrate that this approach naturally gives rise to topological surface states without invoking structural distortions. In conclusion, our results highlight the crucial role of ligand orbital correlations in shaping band topology and provide a novel framework for understanding and engineering topological phases in chalcogenide-based quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Engineering phase-frustration-induced flat bands in an aza-triangulene covalent kagome lattice

π-Conjugated covalent organic frameworks provide a versatile molecular scaffold for the realization of designer quantum nanomaterials. Strong electron–electron correlation within these artificial lattices can give rise to exotic phases of matter. Their experimental realization, however, requires precise control over orbital symmetry, charge localization and band dispersion, all arising from the effective hybridization between molecular linkers and nodes. Here we present a modular strategy for constructing diatomic kagome lattices from aza-[3]triangulene nodes, in which a D 3h -symmetric ground state is stabilized through resonance contributions from a cumulenic linker. First-principles density functional theory and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy reveal that the hybridization of a sixfold-degenerate set of edge-localized Wannier functions in the unit cell gives rise to orbital-phase-frustration-induced non-trivial flat bands. These results establish a general design principle for engineering orbital interactions in organic lattices and open a pathway towards programmable covalent-organic-framework-based quantum materials with correlated electronic ground states.

conjugated polymers

The determination of accurate dipole polarizabilities alpha and gamma for the noble gases

The static dipole polarizabilities alpha and gamma for the noble gases helium through xenon were determined using large flexible one-particle basis sets in conjunction with high-level treatments of electron correlation. The electron correlation methods include single and double excitation coupled-cluster theory (CCSD), an extension of CCSD that includes a perturbational estimate of connected triple excitations, CCSD(T), and second order perturbation theory (MP2). The computed alpha and gamma values are estimated to be accurate to within a few percent. Agreement with experimental data for the static hyperpolarizability gamma is good for neon and xenon, but for argon and krypton the differences are larger than the combined theoretical and experimental uncertainties. Based on our calculations, we suggest that the experimental value of gamma for argon is too low; adjusting this value would bring the experimental value of gamma for krypton into better agreement with our computed result. The MP2 values for the polarizabilities of neon, argon, krypton and zenon are in reasonabe agreement with the CCSD and CCSD(T) values, suggesting that this less expensive method may be useful in studies of polarizabilities for larger systems.

Rice, Julia E.

Extended Gutzwiller Approximation for Nonlocal Electron-Electron and Electron-Boson Correlations (I): The Theory

Understanding electron-electron and electron-photon correlations is central to uncovering the fundamental mechanisms governing material properties, particularly in systems where strong interactions give rise to emergent phenomena such as superconductivity, magnetism, and polaritonic effects. These correlations play a pivotal role in cavity quantum materials, where hybridized light-matter states enable quantum control over electronic properties. However, capturing both local and nonlocal correlations in these systems presents a significant theoretical challenge. In this work, we extend the Gutzwiller wavefunction method to include nonlocal electron-photon and electron-electron interactions, providing a unified framework to study the intricate interplay between these effects. Our approach accurately captures the long-range correlations induced by photon exchange, enabling the exploration of exotic quantum phases and the effects of cavity coupling on electronic structure. By benchmarking the method across coupling regimes, we reveal the critical role of nonlocal correlations in stabilizing phases, such as superconducting and insulating states, that are inaccessible through local interactions alone. This generalized Gutzwiller framework offers a versatile tool for understanding and designing materials that harness the transformative potential of strong light-matter coupling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Correlation of electron and proton irradiation-induced damage in InP solar cells

The measured degradation of epitaxial shallow homojunction n(+)/p InP solar cells under 1 MeV electron irradiation is correlated with that measured under 3 MeV proton irradiation based on 'displacement damage dose'. The measured data is analyzed as a function of displacement damage dose from which an electron to proton dose equivalency ratio is determined which enables the electron and proton degradation data to be described by a single degradation curve. It is discussed how this single curve can be used to predict the cell degradation under irradiation by any particle energy. The degradation curve is used to compare the radiation response of InP and GaAs/Ge cells on an absolute damage energy scale. The comparison shows InP to be inherently more resistant to displacement damage deposition than the GaAs/Ge.

Walters, Robert J.

Correlated petrographic, electron microprobe, and ion microprobe studies of selected primitive and processed phase assemblages in meteorites

During the past three years we have received support to continue our research in elucidating the formation and alteration histories of selected meteoritic materials by a combination of petrographic, trace element, and isotopic analyses employing optical and scanning electron microscopes and electron and ion microprobes. The awarded research funds enabled the P.I. to attend the annual LPSC, the co-I to devote approximately 15 percent of his time to the research proposed in the grant, and partial support for a visiting summer post-doctoral fellow to conduct electron microprobe analyses of meteoritic samples in our laboratory. The research funds, along with support from the NASA Education Initiative awarded to P.I. G. Wasserburg, enabled the co-I to continue a mentoring program with inner-city minority youth. The support enabled us to achieve significant results in the five projects that we proposed (in addition to the Education Initiative), namely: studies of the accretional and post-accretional alteration and thermal histories in CV meteorites, characterization of periclase-bearing Fremdlinge in CV meteorites, characterization of Ni-Pt-Ge-Te-rich Fremdlinge in CV meteorites in an attempt to determine the constraints they place on the petrogenetic and thermal histories of their host CAI's, correlated electron and ion microprobe studies of silicate and phosphate inclusions in the Colomera meteorite in an attempt to determine the petrogenesis of the IE iron meteorites, and development of improved instrumental and correction procedures for improved accuracy of analysis of meteoritic materials with the electron microprobe. This grant supported, in part or whole, 18 publications so far by our research team, with at least three more papers anticipated. The list of these publications is included. The details of the research results are briefly summarized.

Albee, Arden L.

Electron parameter correlations in high-speed streams and heat flux instabilities

Statistical electron parameter correlations associated with high-speed streams are determined with the aim of identifying one or more locally active solar wind heat flux instabilities. Evidence that points toward local regulation of the heat flux at 1 AU is presented, and the results of a search for special signatures expected from the action of the Alfven, magnetosonic, and whistler flux instabilities are discussed. It is shown that under certain conditions, the whistler mode can be active in regulating the heat flux at 1 AU.

Feldman, W. C.

Femtosecond Nonadiabatic Confinement of Molecular Dication Yield

Doubly charged molecular cations often carry signatures of electronic correlation and electron–nuclear entanglement present in the parent cation. Here, we produce ethylene dications using a combination of an extreme ultraviolet pump and near-infrared probe pulses, observing a peak in the dication yield at a pump–probe delay of approximately 15 fs. Ab-initio calculations, which explicitly take into account coupled electron–nuclear dynamics induced by the pump and the multiphoton nature of the probe-induced ionization step, reproduced the observed delay in the yield. It originates from resonant enhancement of the multiphoton ionization of the electronically excited ethylene cation as the carbon–carbon double bond expands. However, this effect is tempered by rapid nonadiabatic relaxation of the excited ionic states. Our results suggest a general mechanism whereby ultrafast nonadiabatic relaxation of a molecular ion can compete with its strong-field ionization rate, confining the dication yield to a narrow temporal window of a few femtoseconds.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS

Theoretical study of the diatomic alkali and alkaline-earth oxides

Theoretical dissociation energies for the ground states of the alkali and alkaline earth oxides are presented that are believed to be accurate to 0.1 eV. The 2 Pi - 2 Sigma + separations for the alkali oxides are found to be more sensitive to basis set than to electron correlation. Predicted 2 Pi ground states for LiO and NaO and 2 Sigma + ground states for RbO and CsO are found to be in agreement with previous theoretical and experimental work. For KO, a 2 Sigma + state is found at both the numerical Hartree-Fock (NHF) level and at the singles plus doubles configuration interaction level using a Slater basis set that is within 0.02 eV of the NHF limit. It is found that an accurate balanced treatment of the two states requires correlating the electrons on both the metal and oxide ion.

Langhoff, S. R.

ComDMFT v.2.0: Fully self-consistent ab initio GW+EDMFT for the electronic structure of correlated quantum materials

ComDMFT is a parallel computational package designed to study the electronic structure of correlated quantum materials from first principles. Our approach is based on the combination of first-principles methods and dynamical mean field theories. In version 2.0, we implemented fully-diagrammatic GW+EDMFT from first-principles self-consistently. In this approach, correlated electrons are treated within full GW+EDMFT and the rest are treated within full-GW, seamlessly. Further, this implementation enables the electronic structure calculation of quantum materials with weak, intermediate, and strong electron correlation without prior knowledge of the degree of electron correlation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND

Thermal quasiparticle theory

The widely used thermal Hartree–Fock (HF) theory is generalized to include the effect of electron correlation while maintaining its quasi-independent-particle framework. An electron-correlated internal energy (or grand potential) is postulated in consultation with the second-order finite-temperature many-body perturbation theory (MBPT), which then dictates the corresponding thermal orbital (quasiparticle) energies in such a way that all fundamental thermodynamic relations are obeyed. The associated density matrix is of a one-electron type, whose diagonal elements take the form of the Fermi–Dirac distribution functions, when the grand potential is minimized. The formulas for the entropy and chemical potential are unchanged from those of Fermi–Dirac or thermal HF theory. The theory thus stipulates a finite-temperature extension of the second-order Dyson self-energy of one-particle many-body Green’s function theory and can be viewed as a second-order, diagonal, frequency-independent, thermal inverse Dyson equation. At low temperatures, the theory approaches finite-temperature MBPT of the same order, but it may outperform the latter at intermediate temperatures by including additional electron-correlation effects through orbital energies. Here, a physical meaning of these thermal orbital energies is proposed (encompassing that of thermal HF orbital energies, which has been elusive) as a finite-temperature version of Janak’s theorem.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS

Lumped Parameter Modeling for Rapid Vibration Response Prototyping and Test Correlation for Electronic Units

Present preliminary work using lumped parameter models to approximate dynamic response of electronic units to random vibration; Derive a general N-DOF model for application to electronic units; Illustrate parametric influence of model parameters; Implication of coupled dynamics for unit/board design; Demonstrate use of model to infer printed wiring board (PWB) dynamics from external chassis test measurement.

random vibration