arXiv subjects

Peitao Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Peitao Liu.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Osmates on the verge of a Hund's-Mott transition: The different fates of NaOsO$_3$ and LiOsO$_3$

We clarify the origin of the strikingly different spectroscopic properties of the chemically similar compounds NaOsO$_3$ and LiOsO$_3$. Our first-principle many-body analysis demonstrates that the highly sensitive physics of these two materials is controlled by their proximity to an adjacent Hund's-Mott insulating phase. In mildly correlated $5d$ oxides, this physics is triggered by the {\sl cooperative} action of intraorbital repulsion and Hund's exchange in half-filled $t_{2g}$ outer-shells. Small material-specific details hence result in an extremely sharp change of the electronic mobility, explaining the surprisingly different properties of the paramagnetic high-temperature phases of the two compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Accurate optical spectra through time-dependent density functional theory based on screening-dependent hybrid functionals

We investigate optical absorption spectra obtained through time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) based on nonempirical hybrid functionals that are designed to correctly reproduce the dielectric function. The comparison with state-of-the-art $GW$ calculations followed by the solution of the Bethe-Sapeter equation (BSE-$GW$) shows close agreement for both the transition energies and the main features of the spectra. We confront TD-DFT with BSE-$GW$ by focusing on the model dielectric function and the local exchange-correlation kernel. The present TD-DFT approach achieves the accuracy of BSE-$GW$ at a fraction of the computational cost.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Comparative ab initio study of the structural, electronic, magnetic, and dynamical properties of LiOsO$_3$ and NaOsO$_3$

Despite similar chemical compositions, LiOsO$_3$ and NaOsO$_3$ exhibit remarkably distinct structural, electronic, magnetic, and spectroscopic properties. At low temperature, LiOsO$_3$ is a polar bad metal with a rhombohedral $R3c$ structure without the presence of long-range magnetic order, whereas NaOsO$_3$ is a $G$-type antiferromagnetic insulator with an orthorhombic $Pnma$ structure. By means of comparative first-principles DFT+$U$ calculations with the inclusion of the spin-orbit coupling, we ($i$) identify the origin of the different structural ($R3c$ vs. $Pnma$) properties using a symmetry-adapted soft mode analysis, ($ii$) provide evidence that all considered exchange-correlation functionals (LDA, PBE, PBEsol, SCAN, and HSE06) and the spin disordered polymorphous descriptions are unsatisfactory to accurately describe the electronic and magnetic properties of both systems simultaneously, and ($iii$) clarify that the distinct electronic (metallic vs. insulating) properties originates mainly from a cooperative steric and magnetic effect. Finally, we find that although at ambient pressure LiOsO$_3$ with a $Pnma$ symmetry and NaOsO$_3$ with a $R\bar{3}c$ symmetry are energetically unfavorable, they do not show soft phonons and therefore are dynamically stable. A pressure-induced structural phase transition from $R3c$ to $Pnma$ for LiOsO$_3$ is predicted, whereas for NaOsO$_3$ no symmetry change is discerned in the considered pressure range.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Assessing model-dielectric-dependent hybrid functionals on the antiferromagnetic transition-metal monoxides MnO, FeO, CoO, and NiO

Recently, two nonempirical hybrid functionals, dielectric-dependent range-separated hybrid functional based on the Coulomb-attenuating method (DD-RSH-CAM) and doubly screened hybrid functional (DSH), have been suggested by [Chen et al, Phys. Rev. Mater. 2, 073803 (2018)] and [Cui et al, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 9, 2338 (2018)], respectively. These two hybrid functionals are both based on a common model dielectric function approach, but differ in the way how to non-empirically obtain the range-separation parameter. By retaining the full short-range Fock exchange and a fraction of the long-range Fock exchange that equals the inverse of the dielectric constant, both DD-RSH-CAM and DSH turn out to perform very well in predicting the band gaps for a large variety of semiconductors and insulators. Here, we assess how these two hybrid functionals perform on challenging antiferromagnetic transition-metal monoxides MnO, FeO, CoO, and NiO by comparing them to other conventional hybrid functionals and the $GW$ method. We find that single-shot DD0-RSH-CAM and DSH0 improve the band gaps towards experiments as compared to conventional hybrid functionals. The magnetic moments are slightly increased, but the predicted dielectric constants are decreased. The valence band density of states (DOS) predicted by DD0-RSH-CAM and DSH0 are as satisfactory as HSE03 in comparison to experimental spectra, however, the conduction band DOS are shifted to higher energies by about 2 eV compared to HSE03. Self-consistent DD-RSH-CAM and DSH deteriorate the results with a significant overestimation of band gaps.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Energetics of the coupled electronic-structural transition in the rare-earth nickelates

Rare-earth nickelates exhibit a metal-insulator transition accompanied by a structural distortion that breaks the symmetry between formerly equivalent Ni sites. The quantitative theoretical description of this coupled electronic-structural instability is extremely challenging. Here, we address this issue by simultaneously taking into account both structural and electronic degrees of freedom using a charge self-consistent combination of density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory, together with screened interaction parameters obtained from the constrained random phase approximation. Our total energy calculations show that the coupling to an electronic instability towards a charge disproportionated insulating state is crucial to stabilize the structural distortion, leading to a clear first order character of the coupled transition. The decreasing octahedral rotations across the series suppress this electronic instability and simultaneously increase the screening of the effective Coulomb interaction, thus weakening the correlation effects responsible for the metal-insulator transition. Our approach allows to obtain accurate values for the structural distortion and thus facilitates a comprehensive understanding, both qualitatively and quantitatively, of the complex interplay between structural properties and electronic correlation effects across the nickelate series.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Beyond the quasiparticle approximation: Fully self-consistent $GW$ calculations

We present quasiparticle (QP) energies from fully self-consistent $GW$ (sc$GW$) calculations for a set of prototypical semiconductors and insulators within the framework of the projector-augmented wave methodology. To obtain converged results, both finite basis-set corrections and $k$-point corrections are included, and a simple procedure is suggested to deal with the singularity of the Coulomb kernel in the long-wavelength limit, the so called head correction. It is shown that the inclusion of the head corrections in the sc$GW$ calculations is critical to obtain accurate QP energies with a reasonable $k$-point set. We first validate our implementation by presenting detailed results for the selected case of diamond, and then we discuss the converged QP energies, in particular the band gaps, for a set of gapped compounds and compare them to single-shot $G_0W_0$, QP self-consistent $GW$, and previously available sc$GW$ results as well as experimental results.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Relativistic $GW$+BSE study of the optical properties of Ruddlesden-Popper iridates

We study the optical properties of the Ruddlesden-Popper series of iridates Sr$_{n+1}$Ir$_n$O$_{3n+1}$ ($n$=1, 2 and $\infty$) by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE), where the quasiparticle (QP) energies and screened interactions $W$ are obtained by the $GW$ approximation including spin-orbit coupling. The computed optical conductivity spectra show strong excitonic effects and reproduce very well the experimentally observed double-peak structure, in particular for the spin-orbital Mott insulators Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ and Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$. However, $GW$ does not account well for the correlated metallic state of SrIrO$_3$ owing to a much too small band renormalization, and this affects the overall quality of the optical conductivity. Our analysis describes well the progressive redshift of the main optical peaks as a function of dimensionality ($n$), which is correlated with the gradual decrease of the electronic correlation (quantified by the constrained random phase approximation) towards the metallic $n=\infty$ limit. We have also assessed the quality of a computationally cheaper BSE approach that is based on a model dielectric function and conducted on top of DFT+$U$ one-electron energies. Unfortunately, this model BSE approach does not accurately reproduce the outcome of the full $GW$+BSE method and leads to larger deviations to the measured spectra.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Strain-induced tuning of the electronic Coulomb interaction in 3d transition metal oxide perovskites

Epitaxial strain offers an effective route to tune the physical parameters in transition metal oxides. So far, most studies have focused on the effects of strain on the bandwidths and crystal field splitting, but recent experimental and theoretical works have shown that also the effective Coulomb interaction changes upon structural modifications. This effect is expected to be of paramount importance in current material engineering studies based on epitaxy-based material synthesization. Here, we perform constrained random phase approximation calculations for prototypical oxides with a different occupation of the d shell, LaTiO3 (d1), LaVO3 (d2), and LaCrO3 (d3), and systematically study the evolution of the effective Coulomb interactions (Hubbard U and Hund's J) when applying epitaxial strain. Surprisingly, we find that the response upon strain is strongly dependent on the material. For LaTiO3, the interaction parameters are determined by the degree of localization of the orbitals, and grow with increasing tensile strain. In contrast, LaCrO3 shows the opposite trends: the interactions parameters shrink upon tensile strain. This is caused by the enhanced screening due to the larger electron filling. LaVO3 shows an intermediate behavior.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Converged GW quasiparticle energies for transition metal oxide perovskites

The ab initio calculation of quasiparticle (QP) energies is a technically and computationally challenging problem. In condensed matter physics the most widely used approach to determine QP energies is the GW approximation. Although the GW method has been widely applied to many typical semiconductors and insulators, its application to more complex compounds such as transition metal oxide perovskites has been comparatively rare, and its proper use is not well established from a technical point of view. In this work, we have applied the single-shot G0W0 method to a representative set of transition metal oxide perovskites including 3d (SrTiO3, LaScO3, SrMnO3, LaTiO3, LaVO3, LaCrO3, LaMnO3, and LaFeO3), 4d (SrZrO3, SrTcO3, and Ca2RuO4) and 5d (SrHfO3, KTaO3 and NaOsO3) compounds with different electronic configurations, magnetic orderings, structural characteristics and bandgaps ranging from 0.1 to 6.1 eV. We discuss the proper procedure to obtain well converged QP energies and accurate bandgaps within single-shot G0W0 by comparing the conventional approach based on an incremental variation of a specific set of parameters (number of bands, energy cutoff for the plane-wave expansion and number of k-points and the basis-set extrapolation scheme [Phys. Rev. B 90, 075125 (2014)]. In addition, we have inspected the difference between the adoption of norm-conserving and ultrasoft potentials in GW calculations. A minimal statistical analysis indicates that the correlation of the GW data with the DFT gap is more robust than the correlation with the experimental gaps; moreover we identify the static dielectric constant as alternative useful parameter for the approximation of GW gap in high-throughput automatic procedures. Finally, we compute the QP band structure and spectra within the random phase approximation and compare the results with available experimental data.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Dimensionality-strain phase diagram of strontium iridates

The competition between spin-orbit coupling, bandwidth ($W$) and electron-electron interaction ($U$) makes iridates highly susceptible to small external perturbations, which can trigger the onset of novel types of electronic and magnetic states. Here we employ {\em first principles} calculations based on density functional theory and on the constrained random phase approximation to study how dimensionality and strain affect the strength of $U$ and $W$ in (SrIrO$_3$)$_m$/(SrTiO$_3$) superlattices. The result is a phase diagram explaining two different types of controllable magnetic and electronic transitions, spin-flop and insulator-to-metal, connected with the disruption of the $J_{eff}=1/2$ state which cannnot be understood within a simplified local picture.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Lifshitz transition driven by spin fluctuations and spin-orbit renormalization in NaOsO$_3$

In systems where electrons form both dispersive bands and small local spins, we show that changes of the spin configuration can tune the bands through a Lifshitz transition, resulting in a continuous metal-insulator transition associated with a progressive change of the Fermi surface topology. In contrast to a Mott-Hubbard and Slater pictures, this spin-driven Lifshitz transition appears in systems with small electron-electron correlation and large hybridization. We show that this situation is realized in 5$d$ distorted perovskites with an half-filled $t_{2g}$ bands such as NaOsO$_3$, where the strong $p-d$ hybridization reduces the local moment, and spin-orbit coupling causes a large renormalization of the electronic mobility. This weakens the role of electronic correlations and drives the system towards an itinerant magnetic regime which enables spin-fluctuations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Magnetic properties of bilayer Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$: role of epitaxial strain and oxygen vacancies

Using {\it ab initio} methods, we investigate the modification of the magnetic properties of the $m=2$ member of the strontium iridates Ruddlesden-Popper series Sr$_{m+1}$Ir$_{m}$O$_{3m+1}$, bilayer Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$, induced by epitaxial strain and oxygen vacancies. Unlike the single layer compound Sr$_2$IrO$_4$, which exhibits a robust in-plane magnetic order, the energy difference between in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic orderings in Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ is much smaller and it is expected that small external perturbations could induce magnetic transitions. Our results indicate that epitaxial strain yields a spin-flop transition, that is driven by the crossover between the intralayer $J_1$ and interlayer $J_2$ magnetic exchange interactions upon compressive strain. While $J_1$ is essentially insensitive to strain effects, the strength of $J_2$ changes by one order of magnitude for tensile strains $\geq$ 3~\%. In addition, our study clarifies that the unusual in-plane magnetic response observed in Sr$_3$Ir$_2$O$_7$ upon the application of an external magnetic field originates from the canting of the local magnetic moments due to oxygen vacancies, which tilt the octahedral networks - thereby allowing for noncollinear spin configurations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

$GW$100: a plane wave perspective for small molecules

In a recent work, van Setten and coworkers have presented a carefully converged $G_0W_0$ study of 100 closed shell molecules [J. Chem. Theory Comput. 11, 5665 (2015)]. For two different codes they found excellent agreement to within few 10 meV if identical Gaussian basis sets were used. We inspect the same set of molecules using the projector augmented wave method and the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP). For the ionization potential, the basis set extrapolated plane wave results agree very well with the Gaussian basis sets, often reaching better than 50 meV agreement. In order to achieve this agreement, we correct for finite basis set errors as well as errors introduced by periodically repeated images. For electron affinities below the vacuum level differences between Gaussian basis sets and VASP are slightly larger. We attribute this to larger basis set extrapolation errors for the Gaussian basis sets. For quasi particle (QP) resonances above the vacuum level, differences between VASP and Gaussian basis sets are, however, found to be substantial. This is tentatively explained by insufficient basis set convergence of the Gaussian type orbital calculations as exemplified for selected test cases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Cubic scaling $GW$: towards fast quasiparticle calculations

Within the framework of the full potential projector-augmented wave methodology, we present a promising low-scaling $GW$ implementation. It allows for quasiparticle calculations with a scaling that is cubic in the system size and linear in the number of $k$ points used to sample the Brillouin zone. This is achieved by calculating the polarizability and self-energy in the real space and imaginary time domain. The transformation from the imaginary time to the frequency domain is done by an efficient discrete Fourier transformation with only a few nonuniform grid points. Fast Fourier transformations are used to go from real space to reciprocal space and vice versa. The analytic continuation from the imaginary to the real frequency axis is performed by exploiting Thiele's reciprocal difference approach. Finally, the method is applied successfully to predict the quasiparticle energies and spectral functions of typical semiconductors (Si, GaAs, SiC, and ZnO), insulators (C, BN, MgO, and LiF), and metals (Cu and SrVO$_3$). The results are compared with conventional $GW$ calculations. Good agreement is achieved, highlighting the strength of the present method.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Electron and hole doping in the relativistic Mott insulator Sr$_2$IrO$_4$: a first-principles study using band unfolding technique

We study the effects of dilute La and Rh doping on the electronic structure of the relativistic Mott insulator Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ using fully relativistic and magnetically non-collinear density functional theory with the inclusion of an on-site Hubbard $U$. To model doping effects, we have adopted the supercell approach that allows for a realistic treatment of structural relaxations and electronic effects beyond a purely rigid band approach. By means of the band unfolding technique we have computed the spectral function and constructed the effective band structure and Fermi surface (FS), which are readily comparable with available experimental data. Our calculations clearly indicate that La and Rh doping can be interpreted as effective electron and (fractional) hole doping, respectively. In Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$IrO$_4$ the IMT is accompanied by a moderate renormalization of the electronic correlation substantiated by a reduction of the effective on-site Coulomb repulsion $U-J$ from 1.6 eV ($x=0$) to 1.4 eV (metallic regime $x=12.5\%$). The progressive closing of the relativistic Mott gap leads to the emergence of connected elliptical electron pockets at ($π$/2,$π$/2) and less intense features at $X$ in the FS. The substitution of Ir with the nominally isovalent Rh is accompanied by a substantial hole transfer from the Rh site to the nearest neighbor Ir sites. This shifts down the chemical potential, creates almost circular disconnected hole pockets in the FS and establishes the emergence of a two-dimensional metallic state formed by conducting Rh-planes intercalated by insulating Ir-planes. Finally, our data indicate that hole doping causes a flipping of the in-plane net ferromagnetic moment in the Rh plane and induces a magnetic transition from the AF-I to the AF-II ordering.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2015

Anisotropic Magnetic Couplings and Structure-Driven Canted to Collinear Transitions in Spin-orbit Coupled Sr2IrO4

We put forward a scheme to study the anisotropic magnetic couplings in Sr2IrO4 by mapping fully relativistic constrained noncollinear density functional theory including an on-site Hubbard U correction onto a general spin model Hamiltonian. This procedure allows for the simultaneous account and direct control of the lattice, spin and orbital interactions within a fully ab initio scheme. We compute the isotropic, single site anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) coupling parameters, and clarify that the origin of the canted magnetic state in Sr2IrO4 arises from the interplay between structural distortions and the competition between isotropic exchange and DM interactions. A complete magnetic phase diagram with respect to the tetragonal distortion and the rotation of IrO6 octahedra is constructed, revealing the presence of two types of canted to collinear magnetic transitions: a spin-flop transition with increasing tetragonal distortion and a complete quenching of the basal weak ferromagnetic moment below a critical octahedral rotation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Effects of dilute substitutional solutes on carbon in $α$-Fe: interactions and associated carbon diffusion from first-principles calculations

By means of first-principles calculations coupled with the kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we have systematically investigated the effects of dilute substitutional solutes on the behaviors of carbon in $α$-Fe. Our results uncover that: ($i$) Without the Fe vacancy the interactions between most solutes and carbon are repulsive due to the strain relief, whereas Mn has a weak attractive interaction with its nearest-neighbor carbon due to the local ferromagnetic coupling effect. ($ii$) The presence of the Fe vacancy results in attractive interactions of all the solutes with carbon. In particular, the Mn-vacancy pair shows an exceptionally large binding energy of -0.81 eV with carbon. ($iii$) The alloying addition significantly impacts the atomic-scale concentration distributions and chemical potential of carbon in the Fe matrix. Among them, Mn and Cr increase the carbon chemical potential whereas Al and Si reduce it. ($iv$) Within the dilute scale of the alloying solution, the solute concentration and temperature dependent carbon diffusivities demonstrate that Mn has a little impact on the carbon diffusion whereas Cr (Al or Si) remarkably retards the carbon diffusion. Our results provide certain implication for better understanding the experimental observations related with the carbon solubility limit, carbon micro-segregation and carbide precipitations in the ferritic steels.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Interstitial-Boron Solution Strengthened WB$_{3+x}$

By means of variable-composition evolutionary algorithm coupled with density functional theory and in combination with aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments, we have studied and characterized the composition, structure and hardness properties of WB$_{3+x}$ ($x$ $<$ 0.5). We provide robust evidence for the occurrence of stoichiometric WB$_3$ and non-stoichiometric WB$_{3+x}$ both crystallizing in the metastable $hP$16 ($P6_3/mmc$) structure. No signs for the formation of the highly debated WB$_4$ (both $hP$20 and $hP$10) phases were found. Our results rationalize the seemingly contradictory high-pressure experimental findings and suggest that the interstitial boron atom is located in the tungsten layer and vertically interconnect with four boron atoms, thus forming a typical three-center boron net with the upper and lower boron layers in a three-dimensional covalent network, which thereby strengthen the hardness.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗