arXiv subjects

Amanda Ehn

Publications and source records attributed to Amanda Ehn.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Electronic structure and oxidation states in high-pressure synthesized isostructural CeCN$_5$ and TbCN$_5$

Understanding the behavior of 4$f$ electrons in materials containing rare earth elements is one of the fundamental questions within condensed matter physics. In this work the electronic properties of isostructural CeCN$_5$ and TbCN$_5$, both recently synthesized at extreme pressure, are investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. We include the on-site Coulomb repulsion between localized 4$f$ states within the static DFT+U framework; the DFT+U results are cross-checked with DFT+dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) calculations within the quasi-atomic (Hubbard-I) approximation. Despite CeCN$_5$ and TbCN$_5$ being isostructural compounds Ce and Tb show different oxidation states, 4+ and 3+ respectively. This leads to distinctly different electronic properties: the former compound is an insulator, while the latter is a metal. An extra electron which is donated by Ce to the polymeric C-N network is distributed across the network. This leads to a modification of the bond length in CeCN$_5$ compared to TbCN$_5$. Still, the polymeric C-N networks can accommodate the different oxidation states in isostructural lanthanide-carbon-nitrogen (LnCN) compounds. Our results underline that LnCN compounds under high pressure offer a unique platform for probing the interplay between 4$f$-electron behavior and structural complexity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

First Principles Theory of the Pressure Induced Invar Effect in FeNi Alloys

The Fe$_{0.64}$Ni$_{0.36}$ alloy exhibits an anomalously low thermal expansion at ambient conditions, an effect that is known as the invar effect. Other Fe$_{x}$Ni$_{1-x}$ alloys do not exhibit this effect at ambient conditions but upon application of pressure even Ni-rich compositions show low thermal expansion, thus called the pressure induced invar effect. We investigate the pressure induced invar effect for Fe$_{x}$Ni$_{1-x}$ for x = 0.64, 0.50, 0.25 by performing a large set of supercell calculations, taking into account noncollinear magnetic states. We observe anomalies in the equation of states for the three compositions. The anomalies coincide with magnetic transitions from a ferromagnetic state at high volumes to a complex magnetic state at lower volumes. Our results can be interpreted in the model of noncollinear magnetism which relates the invar effect to increasing contribution of magnetic entropy with pressure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Longitudinal spin fluctuations in bcc and liquid Fe at high temperature and pressure calculated with a supercell approach

Investigation of magnetic materials at realistic conditions with first-principles methods is a challenging task due to the interplay of vibrational and magnetic degrees of freedom. The most difficult contribution to include in simulations is represented by the longitudinal magnetic degrees of freedom (LSF) due to their inherent many-body nature; nonetheless, schemes that enable to take into account this effect on a semiclassical level have been proposed and employed in the investigation of magnetic systems. However, assessment of the effect of vibrations on LSF is lacking in the literature. For this reason, in this work we develop a supercell approach within the framework of constrained density functional theory to calculate self-consistently the size of local-environment-dependent magnetic moments in the paramagnetic, high-temperature state in presence of lattice vibrations and for liquid Fe in different conditions. First, we consider the case of bcc Fe at the Curie temperature and ambient pressure. Then, we perform a similar analysis on bcc Fe at Earth's inner core conditions, and we find that LSF stabilize non-zero moments which affect atomic forces and electronic density of states of the system. Finally, we employ the present scheme on liquid Fe at the melting point at ambient pressure, and at Earth's outer core conditions ($p \approx 200$ GPa, $T \approx 6000$ K). In both cases, we obtain local magnetic moments of sizes comparable to the solid-state counterparts.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗