arXiv subjects

Iurii Timrov

Publications and source records attributed to Iurii Timrov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Randomized Block Davidson Eigensolvers for Plane-Wave Density-Functional Theory

Iterative diagonalization is the dominant cost of plane-wave density-functional theory (DFT), with search-space orthogonalization scaling particularly quickly with problem size and the number of target states. We present a randomized block Davidson-type eigensolver that replaces Euclidean orthogonalization with randomized Gram-Schmidt in a sketched inner product, requiring only a single pass over the basis while keeping its conditioning bounded independently of the input vectors. This modification changes only the Rayleigh-Ritz step, which becomes a definite generalized Hermitian eigenproblem. Ritz extraction remains exact, preserving true Ritz pairs and the interlacing property that makes each band energy an upper bound on the true one. The method is implemented in mixed precision for CPUs and GPUs from a single Julia code, interfaces matrix-free with DFTK, and is released in the open-source RandESC library. On sparse test problems with a fixed number of eigenpairs, the sketched solver overtakes its deterministic counterpart beyond matrix dimensions of about $2\times 10^4$ and is $25\%$ faster at $5\times 10^5$. In full self-consistent field DFT calculations, however, both Davidson variants outperform the locally optimal block preconditioned conjugate gradient (LOBPCG) reference only by $5$ to $11\%$ in total time, while the additional benefit of sketching is limited. As the number of requested states grows with system size, orthogonalization savings are offset by the generalized eigenproblem. Therefore, the regime in which sketching pays off is set by how the number of wanted states scales with the problem dimension, not by the eigensolver as such.

math.NA↗

arXiv2025

Comparing Hubbard parameters from linear-response theory and Hartree-Fock-based approach

Density-functional theory with on-site $U$ and inter-site $V$ Hubbard corrections (DFT+$U$+$V$) is a powerful and accurate method for predicting various properties of transition-metal compounds. However, its accuracy depends critically on the values of these Hubbard parameters. Although they can be determined empirically, first-principles methods provide a more consistent and reliable approach; yet, their results can vary, and a comprehensive comparison between methods is still lacking. Here, we present a systematic comparison of two widely used approaches for computing $U$ and $V$, namely linear-response theory (LRT) and the Hartree-Fock-based pseudohybrid functional formalism, applied to a representative set of oxides (MnO, NiO, CoO, FeO, BaTiO$_3$, ZnO, and ZrO$_2$). We find that for partially occupied transition-metal $d$ states, these two methods yield consistent $U$ values, but they differ for nearly empty or fully filled $d$ shells. For O-$2p$ states, LRT always predicts large $U$ values ($\sim$10 eV), whereas the pseudohybrid formalism produces system-dependent values depending on the level of localization and hybridization for the electronic states. Even larger differences are found for the inter-site $V$: the former predicts consistently small values ($<1$ eV), while the latter produces larger values ($\sim3$ eV), reflecting its explicit dependence on relative charge redistribution. Our results show that while parallels between these two methods exist, they rely on distinct assumptions for determining $U$ and $V$, leading to variations in predictions of material properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Getting the manifold right: The crucial role of orbital resolution in DFT+U for mixed d-f electron compounds

Accurately modeling compounds with partially filled $d$ and $f$ shells remains a hard challenge for density-functional theory, due to large self-interaction errors stemming from local or semi-local exchange-correlation functionals. Hubbard $U$ corrections can mitigate such errors, but are often detrimental to the description of hybridized states, leading to spurious force contributions and wrong lattice structures. Here, we show that careful disentanglement of localized and delocalized states leads to accurate predictions of electronic states and structural distortions in ternary monouranates (AUO$_4$, where A represents Mn, Co, or Ni), for which standard $U$ corrections generally fail. Crucial to achieving such accuracy is a minimization of the mismatch between the spatial extension of the projector functions and the true coordination geometry. This requires Wannier-like alternatives to atomic-orbital projector functions, or corrections of Hubbard manifolds exclusively comprised of the most localized A-$3d$, U-$5f$ and O-$2p$ orbitals. These findings open up the computational prediction of fundamental properties of actinide solids of critical technological importance.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Comparative study of magnetic exchange parameters and magnon dispersions in NiO and MnO from first principles

Spin-wave excitations are fundamental to understanding the behavior of magnetic materials and hold promise for future information and communication technologies. Yet, modeling these accurately in transition-metal compounds remains challenging, starting from the self-interaction errors affecting localized and partially filled $d$-orbitals in density-functional theory (DFT) with (semi-)local functionals. In this work, we compare three advanced first-principles approaches for computing magnetic exchange parameters and magnon dispersions in NiO and MnO, all based on a common DFT+$U$ ground state with ab initio Hubbard $U$ values obtained from density-functional perturbation theory. Two methods extract exchange parameters directly: one via total-energy differences using the four-state mapping ($\Delta E$), and the other via the magnetic force theorem (MFT) using infinitesimal spin rotations. Magnon dispersions are then obtained from a Heisenberg Hamiltonian through linear spin-wave theory (LSWT). The third approach, time-dependent density-functional perturbation theory with $U$ (TDDFPT+$U$), yields magnon dispersions directly from the dynamical spin susceptibility, with exchange parameters fitted a posteriori, for comparison, via LSWT. Our results show that TDDFPT+$U$ and the Heisenberg model based on $\Delta E$-derived parameters align well with experimental neutron scattering data, whereas the MFT-based approach shows larger discrepancies, possibly due to some inherent approximations and limitations of the particular implementation used. This study benchmarks the accuracy of state-of-the-art first-principles techniques for spin-wave modeling and contributes to advancing reliable computational tools for the study and design of magnetic materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Making atomistic materials calculations accessible with the AiiDAlab Quantum ESPRESSO app

Despite the wide availability of density functional theory (DFT) codes, their adoption by the broader materials science community remains limited due to challenges such as software installation, input preparation, high-performance computing setup, and output analysis. To overcome these barriers, we introduce the Quantum ESPRESSO app, an intuitive, web-based platform built on AiiDAlab that integrates user-friendly graphical interfaces with automated DFT workflows. The app employs a modular Input-Process-Output model and a plugin-based architecture, providing predefined computational protocols, automated error handling, and interactive results visualization. We demonstrate the app's capabilities through plugins for electronic band structures, projected density of states, phonon, infrared/Raman, X-ray and muon spectroscopies, Hubbard parameters (DFT+$U$+$V$), Wannier functions, and post-processing tools. By extending the FAIR principles to simulations, workflows, and analyses, the app enhances the accessibility and reproducibility of advanced DFT calculations and provides a general template to interface with other first-principles calculation codes.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Bridging constrained random-phase approximation and linear response theory for computing Hubbard parameters

The predictive accuracy of popular extensions to density-functional theory (DFT) such as DFT+U and DFT plus dynamical mean-field theory (DFT+DMFT) hinges on using realistic values for the screened Coulomb interaction U. Here, we present a systematic comparison of the two most widely used approaches to compute this parameter, i.e. linear response theory (LRT) and the constrained random-phase approximation (cRPA), using a unified framework based on the use of maximally localized Wannier functions. We show that the U in LRT and cRPA can differ as much as 30%. We demonstrate that this discrepancy arises from two main differences: neglecting the response of the exchange-correlation potential in cRPA and additional excitation channels in LRT. By taking these differences into account, we can achieve near perfect agreement between the two techniques. Moreover, we show that in cases with strong hybridization between interacting and screening subspaces, the application of cRPA becomes ambiguous and can lead to unrealistically small U values, while LRT remains well-behaved. Our work formally connects both methods, sheds light on their strengths and limitations, and emphasizes the importance of using a consistent set of Wannier orbitals to ensure transferability of U values between different implementations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

First-principles Hubbard parameters with automated and reproducible workflows

We introduce an automated, flexible framework (aiida-hubbard) to self-consistently calculate Hubbard $U$ and $V$ parameters from first-principles. By leveraging density-functional perturbation theory, the computation of the Hubbard parameters is efficiently parallelized using multiple concurrent and inexpensive primitive cell calculations. Furthermore, the intersite $V$ parameters are defined on-the-fly during the iterative procedure to account for atomic relaxations and diverse coordination environments. We demonstrate the scalability and reliability of the framework by computing in high-throughput fashion the self-consistent onsite $U$ and intersite $V$ parameters for 115 Li-containing bulk solids. Our analysis of the Hubbard parameters calculated reveals a significant correlation of the onsite $U$ values on the oxidation state and coordination environment of the atom on which the Hubbard manifold is centered, while intersite $V$ values exhibit a general decay with increasing interatomic distance. We find, e.g., that the numerical values of $U$ for Fe and Mn 3d orbitals can vary up to 3 eV and 6 eV, respectively; their distribution is characterized by typical shifts of about 0.5 eV and 1.0 eV upon change in oxidation state, or local coordination environment. For the intersite $V$ a narrower spread is found, with values ranging between 0.2 eV and 1.6 eV when considering transition metal and oxygen interactions. This framework paves the way for the exploration of redox materials chemistry and high-throughput screening of $d$ and $f$ compounds across diverse research areas, including the discovery and design of novel energy storage materials, as well as other technologically-relevant applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Explicit demonstration of the equivalence between DFT+U and the Hartree-Fock limit of DFT+DMFT

Several methods have been developed to improve the predictions of density functional theory (DFT) in the case of strongly correlated electron systems. Out of these approaches, DFT+$U$, which corresponds to a static treatment of the local interaction, and DFT combined with dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT), which considers local fluctuations, have both proven incredibly valuable in tackling the description of materials with strong local electron-electron interactions. While it is in principle known that the Hartree-Fock (HF) limit of the DFT+DMFT approach should recover DFT+$U$, demonstrating this equivalence in practice is challenging, due to the very different ways in which the two approaches are generally implemented. In this work, we introduce a way to perform DFT+$U$ calculations in Quantum ESPRESSO using Wannier functions as calculated by Wannier90, which allows us to use the same Hubbard projector functions both in DFT+$U$ and in DFT+DMFT. We benchmark these DFT+$U$ calculations against DFT+DMFT calculations where the DMFT impurity problem is solved within the HF approximation. Considering a number of prototypical materials including NiO, MnO, LaMnO$_3$, and LuNiO$_3$, we establish the sameness of the two approaches. Finally, we showcase the versatility of our approach by going beyond the commonly used atomic orbital-like projectors by performing DFT+$U$ calculations for VO$_2$ using a special set of bond-centered Wannier functions.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Magnons from time-dependent density-functional perturbation theory and nonempirical Hubbard functionals

Spin excitations play a fundamental role in understanding magnetic properties of materials, and have significant technological implications for magnonic devices. However, accurately modeling these in transition-metal and rare-earth compounds remains a formidable challenge. Here, we present a fully first-principles approach for calculating spin-wave spectra based on time-dependent (TD) density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT), using nonempirical Hubbard functionals. This approach is implemented in a general noncollinear formulation, enabling the study of magnons in both collinear and noncollinear magnetic systems. Unlike methods that rely on empirical Hubbard $U$ parameters to describe the ground state, and Heisenberg Hamiltonians for describing magnetic excitations, the methodology developed here probes directly the dynamical spin susceptibility (efficiently evaluated with TDDFPT throught the Liouville-Lanczos approach), and treats the linear variation of the Hubbard augmentation (in itself calculated non-empirically) in full at a self-consistent level. Furthermore, the method satisfies the Goldstone condition without requiring empirical rescaling of the exchange-correlation kernel or explicit enforcement of sum rules, in contrast to existing state-of-the-art techniques. We benchmark the novel computational scheme on prototypical transition-metal monoxides NiO and MnO, showing remarkable agreement with experiments and highlighting the fundamental role of these newly implemented Hubbard corrections. The method holds great promise for describing collective spin excitations in complex materials containing localized electronic states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Bridging classical and quantum interpretation of chemical state analysis by XPS/HAXPES to resolve short-range order in amorphous alumina films

Probing the local structure and chemistry of wide-bandgap amorphous oxide thin films remains challenging due to the limitations of lab-based spectroscopy. This work integrates X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES), molecular dynamics simulations using machine-learning interatomic potentials, density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, and classical electrostatic modeling of final-state core-ionization effects in Al atoms to uncover the structure and chemistry of amorphous alumina polymorphs made with atomic layer deposition (ALD). DFT calculations using the Delta Kohn-Sham method supported the interpretation of final-state effects and validated electrostatic model assumptions. Shifts in the measured Auger parameter were interpreted as extra-atomic relaxation energies, revealing sensitivity to the local coordination environment. Structural disorder and thermal fluctuations were found to govern the distribution of extra-atomic relaxation energies, suggesting that cryo-XPS can isolate and reveal intrinsic structural building blocks of amorphous oxides. Simulated heating and annealing demonstrated that Auger parameter shifts can serve as indicators of phase decomposition in H-supersaturated ALD amorphous alumina. These findings provide a pathway for comprehensive interpretation and predictive modeling of XPS spectra in amorphous wide-bandgap oxides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Machine learning Hubbard parameters with equivariant neural networks

Density-functional theory with extended Hubbard functionals (DFT+$U$+$V$) provides a robust framework to accurately describe complex materials containing transition-metal or rare-earth elements. It does so by mitigating self-interaction errors inherent to semi-local functionals which are particularly pronounced in systems with partially-filled d and f electronic states. However, achieving accuracy in this approach hinges upon the accurate determination of the on-site $U$ and inter-site $V$ Hubbard parameters. In practice, these are obtained either by semi-empirical tuning, requiring prior knowledge, or, more correctly, by using predictive but expensive first-principles calculations. Here, we present a machine learning model based on equivariant neural networks which uses atomic occupation matrices as descriptors, directly capturing the electronic structure, local chemical environment, and oxidation states of the system at hand. We target here the prediction of Hubbard parameters computed self-consistently with iterative linear-response calculations, as implemented in density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT), and structural relaxations. Remarkably, when trained on data from 12 materials spanning various crystal structures and compositions, our model achieves mean absolute relative errors of 3% and 5% for Hubbard $U$ and $V$ parameters, respectively. By circumventing computationally expensive DFT or DFPT self-consistent protocols, our model significantly expedites the prediction of Hubbard parameters with negligible computational overhead, while approaching the accuracy of DFPT. Moreover, owing to its robust transferability, the model facilitates accelerated materials discovery and design via high-throughput calculations, with relevance for various technological applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

First-Principles Electron-Phonon Interactions and Polarons in the Parent Cuprate La$_2$CuO$_4$

Understanding electronic interactions in high-temperature superconductors is an outstanding challenge. In the widely studied cuprate materials, experimental evidence points to strong electron-phonon ($e$-ph) coupling and broad photoemission spectra. Yet, the microscopic origin of this behavior is not fully understood. Here we study $e$-ph interactions and polarons in a prototypical parent (undoped) cuprate, La$_2$CuO$_4$ (LCO), by means of first-principles calculations. Leveraging parameter-free Hubbard-corrected density functional theory, we obtain a ground state with band gap and Cu magnetic moment in nearly exact agreement with experiments. This enables a quantitative characterization of $e$-ph interactions. Our calculations reveal two classes of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons with strong $e$-ph coupling to hole states. These modes consist of Cu-O plane bond-stretching and bond-bending as well as vibrations of apical O atoms. The hole spectral functions, obtained with a cumulant method that can capture strong $e$-ph coupling, exhibit broad quasiparticle peaks with a small spectral weight ($Z\approx0.25$) and pronounced LO-phonon sidebands characteristic of polaron effects. Our calculations predict features observed in photoemission spectra, including a 40-meV peak in the $e$-ph coupling distribution function not explained by existing models. These results show that the universal strong $e$-ph coupling found experimentally in lanthanum cuprates is an intrinsic feature of the parent compound, and elucidates its microscopic origin.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Orbital-resolved DFT+U for molecules and solids

We present an orbital-resolved extension of the Hubbard $U$ correction to density-functional theory (DFT). Compared to the conventional shell-averaged approach, the prediction of energetic, electronic and structural properties is strongly improved, particularly for compounds characterized by both localized and hybridized states in the Hubbard manifold. The numerical values of all Hubbard parameters are readily obtained from linear-response calculations. The relevance of this more refined approach is showcased by its application to bulk solids pyrite (FeS$_2$) and pyrolusite ($\beta$-MnO$_2$), as well as to six Fe(II) molecular complexes. Our findings indicate that a careful definition of Hubbard manifolds is indispensable for extending the applicability of DFT+$U$ beyond its current boundaries. The present orbital-resolved scheme aims to provide a computationally undemanding yet accurate tool for electronic structure calculations of charge-transfer insulators, transition-metal (TM) complexes and other compounds displaying significant orbital hybridization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Understanding the role of Hubbard corrections in the rhombohedral phase of BaTiO$_3$

We present a first-principles study of the low-temperature rhombohedral phase of BaTiO$_3$ using Hubbard-corrected density-functional theory. By employing density-functional perturbation theory, we compute the onsite Hubbard $U$ for Ti($3d$) states and the intersite Hubbard $V$ between Ti($3d$) and O($2p$) states. We show that applying the onsite Hubbard $U$ correction alone to Ti($3d$) states proves detrimental, as it suppresses the Ti($3d$)-O($2p$) hybridization and drives the system towards a cubic phase. Conversely, when both onsite $U$ and intersite $V$ are considered, the localized character of the Ti($3d$) states is maintained, while also preserving the Ti($3d$)-O($2p$) hybridization, restoring the rhombohedral phase of BaTiO$_3$. The generalized PBEsol+$U$+$V$ functional yields good agreement with experimental results for the band gap and dielectric constant, while the optimized geometry is slightly less accurate compared to PBEsol. Zone-center phonon frequencies and Raman spectra are found to be significantly influenced by the underlying geometry. PBEsol and PBEsol+$U$+$V$ provide satisfactory agreement with the experimental Raman spectrum when the PBEsol geometry is used, while PBEsol+$U$ Raman spectrum diverges strongly from experimental data highlighting the adverse impact of the $U$ correction alone in BaTiO$_3$. Our findings underscore the promise of the extended Hubbard PBEsol+$U$+$V$ functional with first-principles $U$ and $V$ for the investigation of other ferroelectric perovskites with mixed ionic-covalent interactions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

First-principles study of the gap in the spin excitation spectrum of the CrI$_3$ honeycomb ferromagnet

The nature of the gap observed at the zone border in the spin-excitation spectrum of CrI$_3$ quasi-2D single crystals is still controversial. We perform first-principles calculations based on time-dependent density-functional perturbation theory, which indicate that the observed gap results from a combination of spin-orbit and inter-layer interaction effects. The former give rise to the anisotropic spin-spin interactions that are responsible for its very existence, while the latter determine both its displacement from the K point of the Brillouin zone due to the in-plane lattice distortions induced by them, and an enhancement of its magnitude, in agreement with experiments and previous theoretical work based on a lattice model.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

On-site and inter-site Hubbard corrections in magnetic monolayers: The case of FePS$_3$ and CrI$_3$

Hubbard-corrected density-functional theory has proven to be successful in addressing self-interaction errors in 3D magnetic materials. However, the effectiveness of this approach for 2D magnetic materials has not been extensively explored. Here, we use PBEsol+$\textit{U}$ and its extensions PBEsol+$\textit{U}$+$\textit{V}$ to investigate the electronic, structural, and vibrational properties of 2D antiferromagnetic FePS$_3$ and ferromagnetic CrI$_3$, and compare the monolayers with their bulk counterparts. Hubbard parameters (on-site $\textit{U}$ and inter-site $\textit{V}$) are computed self-consistently using density-functional perturbation theory, thus avoiding any empirical assumptions. We show that for FePS$_3$ the Hubbard corrections are crucial in obtaining the experimentally observed insulating state with the correct crystal symmetry, providing also vibrational frequencies in good agreement with Raman experiments. For ferromagnetic CrI$_3$, we discuss how a straightforward application of Hubbard corrections worsens the results and introduces a spurious separation between spin-majority and minority conduction bands. Promoting the Hubbard $\textit{U}$ to be a spin-resolved parameter - that is, applying different (first-principles) values to the spin-up and spin-down manifolds - recovers a more physical picture of the electronic bands and delivers the best comparison with experiments.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Magnetostriction-Driven Muon Localization in an Antiferromagnetic Oxide

Magnetostriction drives a rhombohedral distortion in the cubic rock salt antiferromagnet MnO at the N\'eel temperature $T_{N}=118$ K. As an unexpected consequence we show that this distortion acts to localize the site of an implanted muon due to the accompanying redistribution of electron density. This lifts the degeneracy between equivalent sites, resulting in a single observed muon precession frequency. Above $T_{N}$, the muon instead becomes delocalized around a network of equivalent sites. Our first-principles simulations based on Hubbard-corrected density-functional theory and molecular dynamics are consistent with our experimental data and help to resolve a long-standing puzzle regarding muon data on MnO, as well as having wider applicability to other magnetic oxides.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Unraveling the effects of inter-site Hubbard interactions in spinel Li-ion cathode materials

Accurate first-principles predictions of the structural, electronic, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of cathode materials can be key in the design of novel efficient Li-ion batteries. Spinel-type cathode materials Li$_x$Mn$_2$O$_4$ and Li$_x$Mn$_{1.5}$Ni$_{0.5}$O$_4$ are promising candidates for Li-ion battery technologies, but they present serious challenges when it comes to their first-principles modeling. Here, we use density-functional theory with extended Hubbard functionals - DFT+$U$+$V$ with on-site $U$ and inter-site $V$ Hubbard interactions - to study the properties of these transition-metal oxides. The Hubbard parameters are computed from first-principles using density-functional perturbation theory. We show that while $U$ is crucial to obtain the right trends in properties of these materials, $V$ is essential for a quantitative description of the structural and electronic properties, as well as the Li-intercalation voltages. This work paves the way for reliable first-principles studies of other families of cathode materials without relying on empirical fitting or calibration procedures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗