Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “electronic structure calculations”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Twisted Tin‐Chloride Perovskite Single‐Crystal Heterostructures

Self-assembly affords simpler synthetic routes to heterostructures compared with manual layer-by-layer stacking, yet controlling interlayer twist angles in a bulk solid remains an outstanding challenge. We report two new single-crystal heterostructures: (Sn 2 Cl 2 )(CYS) 2 SnCl 4 (CYS = + NH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 S – ; Sn_CYS) and (Sn 2 Cl 2 )(SeCYS) 2 SnCl 4 (SeCYS = + NH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Se – ; Sn_SeCYS) synthesized in solution, with alternating perovskite and intergrowth layers. Notably, compared to the recently reported lead analog, (Pb 2 Cl 2 )(CYS) 2 PbCl 4 (Pb_CYS), the tin heterostructures feature a twist between the perovskite and intergrowth layers. We trace this twist to local distortions at the Sn centers, which change the interfacial lattice-matching requirements compared to those of the Pb analog. Electronic band structure calculations show that the striking differences in the relative energies of perovskite- and intergrowth-derived bands in Sn_CYS and Pb_CYS arise from structural and not compositional differences. The structural anisotropy of Sn_CYS is also reflected in a large in-plane photoluminescence linear anisotropy ratio. Interfacial strain further affords differential incorporation of Pb into the perovskite and intergrowth layers of the Sn heterostructures, resulting in redshifted optical absorption onsets. Thus, we posit that local structural distortions may be exploited to manipulate the twist angle and interfacial strain in bulk heterostructures, providing a new handle for tuning the band alignments of bulk quantum-well electronic structures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Singly occupied 4⁢𝑓 antiferromagnetic insulators: CePO 4 and CeVO 4

Rare-earth containing wide band gap oxides, which provide spin-photon interface and narrow linewidth optical emission, are getting significant attention as the most promising candidate materials in advancing quantum transduction and memories. Here, in this work, from ab initio calculations, we identify antiferromagnetic ground states in structurally preferred monoclinic CePO 4 and tetragonal CeVO 4 exhibiting localized occupied and unoccupied Ce 4⁢𝑓 states with 4⁢𝑓−4⁢𝑓 transition characteristics. Interestingly, in CePO 4 , O 2⁢𝑝 and P 3⁢𝑝 states hybridize negligibly with Ce 4⁢𝑓 states, while in CeVO 4 , V 3⁢𝑑 and O 2⁢𝑝 states hybridize and appear as extended states in between the occupied and unoccupied Ce 4⁢𝑓 states. Here, phonon calculations and analysis identify and differentiate Raman active phonon modes along with the spin phonon coupling of Ce in both CePO 4 and CeVO 4 that ultimately lead to different 4⁢𝑓 ground-state crystal-field multiplets, which are critical to accurately describe electronic transitions for foundational quantum transduction and memories. Further, the identified 𝐶 1 site symmetry of Ce, lacking inversion symmetry in CePO 4 , is relevant for quantum memories and 𝐷 2⁢𝑑 site symmetry of Ce exhibiting inversion symmetry in CeVO 4 is relevant for quantum transduction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electronic structure theory with molecular point group symmetries on quantum annealers

Quantum computation has the potential to revolutionize quantum chemistry through major speedups in computation times and an exponential reduction in computational resources. Here, we combine the symmetry-adapted Jordan–Wigner encoding based on the full Boolean symmetry group $\mathbb{Z}$$^{k}_{2}$ with our new implementation of the Xia–Bian–Kais (XBK) method for improving the efficiency of electronic structure theory calculations on quantum annealers, particularly by reducing the number of qubits needed to achieve the same accuracy. By providing a more extensive symmetry-adapted encoding (SAE) than previous work, we are able to simulate molecules larger than those previously reported that have been studied using methods developed for quantum annealers and without using an active space. We calculated the potential energy surfaces of H 2 , LiH, He 2 , H 2 O, O 2 , N 2 , Li 2 , F 2 , CO, BH 3 , NH 3 , and CH 4 , with the largest molecule in the STO-6G basis set requiring 16 qubits with our SAE, and compared them with full configuration interaction results. The application of SAE to the XBK method provides an exponential reduction in the size of the Hilbert space and scales well with the size of the problem. It does not introduce significant additional errors for even or large values of a key variational parameter that determines the number of ancilla qubits used in the XBK method’s Hamiltonian embedding, or for certain molecules such as He 2 and H 2 O. Here, we provide an explanation for this behavior and a recommendation on the usage of our method. In addition, we briefly discuss the potential of extracting electronic excited states from our method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Engineering 2D Square Lattice Hubbard Models in 90° Twisted GeX/SnX (X =S, Se) Moiré Superlattices

Because of the large-period superlattices emerging in moiré two-dimensional (2D) materials, electronic states in such systems exhibit low energy flat bands that can be used to simulate strongly correlated physics in a highly tunable setup. While many investigations have thus far focused on moiré flat bands and emergent correlated electron physics in triangular, honeycomb, and quasi-one-dimensional lattices, tunable moiré realizations of square lattices subject to strong correlations remain elusive. Here, in this work, we propose a feasible scheme to construct moiré square lattice systems by twisting two or more layers of 2D materials in a rectangular lattice by 90°. We demonstrate the concept with twisted GeX/SnX (X =S, Se) moiré superlattices and calculate their electronic structures from first principles. We show that the lowest conduction flat band in these systems can be described by a square lattice Hubbard model with parameters which can be controlled by varying the choice of host materials, number of layers, and external electric fields. In particular, twisted double bilayer GeSe realizes a square lattice Hubbard model with strong frustration due to the next-nearest-neighbor hopping that could host unconventional superconductivity, in close analogy to the Hubbard model for copper-oxygen planes of cuprate high-temperature superconductors. The presented scheme uses 90° twisted 2D materials with rectangular unit cells as a promising platform for realizing the physical phenomena of square lattice Hubbard models, establishing a new route for studying its rich phase diagram of magnetism, charge order, and unconventional superconductivity in a highly tunable setting.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2025

Green’s Function Perspective on the Nonlinear Density Response of Quantum Many-Body Systems

We derive equations of motion for higher order density response functions using the theory of thermodynamic Green’s functions. We also derive expressions for the higher order generalized dielectric functions and polarization functions. Moreover, we relate higher order response functions and higher order collision integrals within the Martin–Schwinger hierarchy. We expect our results to be highly relevant to the study of a variety of quantum many-body systems such as matter under extreme temperatures, densities, and pressures.

Density Functional Theory↗
DOE OSTI2026

First-principles DFT modeling of nitrobenzene adsorption on the Ag(111) surface at varying monolayer coverages

Here, the adsorption behavior of nitrobenzene on the Ag(111) surface as a function of coverage is investigated using density functional theory. Adsorption energies and optimized geometries are analyzed together with isolated intermolecular interaction calculations and electronic structure analysis, including Bader charge partitioning and projected density of states, to disentangle the roles of adsorbate–surface bonding and through-space adsorbate–adsorbate interactions. At low and intermediate coverages (θ = 1/9 and θ = 2/9), bidentate adsorption at top sites is favored due to strong adsorbate–surface interactions, with additional stabilization at θ = 2/9 arising from favorable intermolecular separations. At higher coverage (θ = 1/3), bidentate adsorption is destabilized by strong intermolecular repulsion, and monodentate adsorption becomes energetically preferred as rotational freedom allows more favorable intermolecular spacing. Charge density differences, Bader charge, and density of states analyses show that charge transfer from the Ag surface is localized primarily on the nitro group and increases with coverage and adsorption denticity, although this increase does not directly correlate with adsorption strength at high coverage due to competing intermolecular interactions. These results demonstrate that surface coverage can induce a transition in preferred adsorption denticity driven by intermolecular interactions, highlighting the importance of adsorbate packing in organic molecule adsorption at metal interfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

MBX V1.2: Accelerating Data-Driven Many-Body Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The MBX software provides an advanced platform for molecular dynamics simulations, leveraging state-of-the-art MB-pol and MB-nrg data-driven many-body potential energy functions. Developed over the past decade, these potential energy functions integrate physics-based and machine-learned many-body terms trained on electronic structure data calculated at the "gold standard" coupled-cluster level of theory. Recent advancements in MBX have focused on optimizing its performance, resulting in the release of MBX v1.2. While the inherently many-body nature of MB-pol and MB-nrg ensures high accuracy, it poses computational challenges. MBX v1.2 addresses these challenges with significant performance improvements, including enhanced parallelism that fully harnesses the power of modern multicore CPUs. In conclusion, these advancements enable simulations on nanosecond time scales for condensed-phase systems, significantly expanding the scope of high-accuracy, predictive simulations of complex molecular systems powered by data-driven many-body potential energy functions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Discovering Ni/Cu Single-Atom Alloy as a Highly Active and Selective Catalyst for Direct Methane Conversion to Ethylene: A First-Principles Kinetic Study

Direct methane conversion to liquid fuels or value-added chemicals is a promising technology to utilize natural resources without resorting to further petroleum extraction. However, discovering efficient catalysts for this reaction is challenging due to either coke formation or unfavorable C-H bond activation. Herein, we design single-atom alloy (SAA) catalysts to simultaneously eliminate the above two bottlenecks based on mechanism-guided strategies: (1) the active single atom enables favorable C-H bond breaking and (2) the less reactive host metal facilitates C-C coupling and thus avoids strong binding of carbonaceous species. Employing electronic structure theory calculations, we screened the stability of multiple SAAs with 3d-5d transition metals atomically dispersed on a copper surface in terms of avoiding dopant aggregation and segregation. We then evaluated reactivities of the stable SAAs as catalysts for direct methane conversion to C2 products, including methane dehydrogenation and C-C coupling mechanisms. Combining selectivity analysis with kinetic modeling, we predicted that nickel dispersed on copper, i.e., Ni/Cu SAA, is a highly active and selective catalyst that can efficiently transform methane to ethylene. This work designs efficient SAA catalysts for direct methane activation and provides chemical insights into engineering compositions of SAAs to tune their catalytic performances.

Kothakonda, Manish↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unconventional low temperature decomposition of a saturated hydrocarbon over atomically-dispersed titanium-aluminum-boron catalyst

Sonochemically-synthesized atomically-dispersed titanium-aluminum-boron nanopowder (TiAlB NP) exhibits a remarkable low-temperature catalytic activation of aliphatic C-H bonds at 750 K followed by C-C bond activation thus emerging as a potent low-cost alternative to expensive platinum group metals. Here, the model saturated hydrocarbon, exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (C10H16), undergoes catalytic decomposition on TiAlB NPs in a chemical microreactor to produce 1,3-cyclopentadiene (c-C5H6), cyclopentene (c-C5H8), and molecular hydrogen (H2) as detected in situ via isomer-selective, single-photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Extensive electronic structure theory calculations on model clusters of the catalyst decode a unique synergy among the atomic constituents of the catalyst and chemical bonding in this stepwise, retro Diels Alder reaction: Ti, although insensitive to C-H activation in its metallic state, initiates the catalysis via chemisorption of the hydrocarbon, adjacent B centers readily abstract hydrogen atoms and store them during the catalytic cycle, while Al stabilizes the catalyst structure yet providing space for critical docking sites for the departing hydrocarbons.

Biswas, Souvick↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ground-state-based model reduction with unitary circuits

Here, we present a method to numerically obtain low-energy effective models based on a unitary transformation of the ground state. The algorithm finds a unitary circuit that transforms the ground state of the original model to a projected wavefunction with only the low-energy degrees of freedom. The effective model can then be derived using the unitary transformation encoded in the circuit. We test our method on the one-dimensional and two-dimensional square-lattice Hubbard model at half-filling, and obtain more accurate effective spin models than the standard perturbative approach.

Hubbard model↗
DOE OSTI2025

Type-II Weyl nodes, flat bands, and evidence for a topological Hall-effect in the new ferromagnet FeCr 3 Te 6

The interplay between linearly dispersing, or Dirac-like, and flat electronic bands, for instance, in the kagome ferromagnets, has attracted attention due to a possible interplay between topology and electronic correlations. Here, we report the synthesis, structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of a single-crystalline ferromagnetic compound, namely Fe 1/3 ⁢CrTe 2 or FeCr 3 ⁢Te 6 , which crystallizes in the 𝑃$\overline{3}$⁢𝑚⁢1 space group instead of the 𝐼⁢2/𝑚 previously reported for FeCr 2 ⁢Te 4 . Electronic band structure calculations reveal type-II Dirac nodes and relatively flat bands near the Fermi level (ε 𝐹 ). This compound shows onset Curie temperature 𝑇 c ≃ 120K, followed by an additional ferromagnetic transition near 𝑇 c2 ∼ 92.5K. Below 𝑇 c , FeCr 3 ⁢Te 6 displays a pronounced anomalous Hall effect, as well as sizable coercive fields that exceed 𝜇 0 ⁢𝐻=1 T at low 𝑇⁢s. However, a scaling analysis indicates that the anomalous Hall effect results from a significant intrinsic contribution, as expected from the calculations, and also from the extrinsic mechanism, i.e., scattering. The extrinsic contribution probably results from occupational disorder at the 1b Fe-site within the van der Waals gap of the CrTe 2 host. We also observe evidence for a topological Hall component superimposed onto the overall Hall response, suggesting the presence of chiral spin textures akin to skyrmions in this centrosymmetric system. Their possible presence will require experimental confirmation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Metallic d-wave altermagnetism in WFeB: a platform for electrically switchable perpendicular spin-splitter response

We report the synthesis and magnetic characterization of WFeB and identify it as a metallic d-wave altermagnet representative of a broader TiNiSi-type family. Neutron diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and magnetometry establish a collinear altermagnetic ordering confirmed by first-principles calculations. The electronic structure shows a nonrelativistic spin splitting of approximately 100 meV, but it also supports a strong spin-splitter transport response. This demonstrates that efficient spin-current generation can occur even with such modest band splitting. Symmetry analysis shows that selected film orientations permit deterministic switching of the Néel vector by current-induced staggered torques, enabling electrical control of a perpendicular spin-splitter response. These results establish WFeB and related TiNiSi-type antiferromagnets as a platform for electrically switchable charge-to-spin conversion driven by altermagnetic symmetry.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
NASA NTRS1977

Inverse isotope effect and the x dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in PdHx and PdDx

First-principles electron-band-structure calculations and measured phonon properties are employed in a calculation of the concentration dependence of the superconducting transition temperatures for PdHx and PdDx, including the inverse isotope effect. Excellent agreement with the experimental results is obtained. Our model also gives a qualitative understanding of the enhanced transition temperatures in the palladium-noble-metal hydrides.

Klein, B. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Electronic structure Fermi liquid theory of high Tc superconductors: Comparison of predictions with experiments

Predictions of local density functional (LDF) calculations of the electronic structure and transport properties of high T(sub c) superconductors are presented. As evidenced by the excellent agreement with both photoemission and positron annihilation experiments, a Fermi liquid nature of the 'normal' state of the high T(sub c) superconductors become clear for the metallic phase of these oxides. In addition, LDF predictions on the normal state transport properties are qualitatively in agreement with experiments on single crystals. It is emphasized that the signs of the Hall coefficients for the high T(sub c) superconductors are not consistent with the types of dopants (e.g., electron-doped or hole-doped) but are determined by the topology of the Fermi surfaces obtained from the LDF calculations.

Yu, Jaejun↗
DOE OSTI2024

Kinetics and Mechanism of the Singlet Oxygen Atom Reaction with Dimethyl Ether

Here, we combine in situ laser spectroscopy, quantum chemistry, and kinetic calculations to study the reaction of a singlet oxygen atom with dimethyl ether. Infrared laser absorption spectroscopy and Faraday rotation spectroscopy are used for the detection and quantification of the reaction products OH, H 2 O, HO 2 , and CH 2 O on submillisecond time scales. Fitting temporal profiles of products with simulations using an in-house reaction mechanism allows product branching to be quantified at 30, 60, and 150 Torr. The experimentally determined product branching agrees well with master equation calculations based on electronic structure data and transition state theory. The calculations demonstrate that the dimethyl peroxide (CH 3 OOCH 3 ) generated via O-insertion into the C–O bond undergoes subsequent dissociation to CH 3 O + CH 3 O through energetically favored reactions without an intrinsic barrier. This O-insertion mechanism can be important for understanding the fate of biofuels leaking into the atmosphere and for plasma-based biofuel processing technologies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1983

Theoretical study of silicon dicarbide

Silicon dicarbide was first observed in 1926 in spectra of cool carbon stars. The carrier of these bands around 5000 A was tentatively identified as SiC2 by Kleman (1956) who produced similar spectra by inserting silicon into the graphite tube of a King furnace heated to over 2500 K. This identification was strengthened by subsequent mass spectral studies which showed SiC2 as a major molecular component of vaporized silicon carbide. The present investigation is concerned with calculations which were initiated in an attempt to understand more recent astronomical observations of unidentified lines in the millimeter-wave region of the spectrum. The calculations were designed to determine the ground state equilibrium structure and to obtain vibrational and rotational constants. Calculations for estimating the positions and structure of low-lying electronic states were also performed. Self-consistent field (SCF) calculations were performed assuming a closed-shell electronic structure analogous to that in C3. Calculations were conducted for symmetric CSiC, and asymmetric SiCC forms.

Green, S.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Pb-Apatite Framework as a Generator of Novel Flat-Band CuO-Based Physics

Based upon density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we present the basic electronic structure of CuPb 9 (PO 4 ) 6 O (Cu-doped lead apatite, aka LK-99), in two scenarios: (1) where the structure is constrained to the P3 symmetry and (2) where no symmetry is imposed. At the DFT level, the former is predicted to be metallic while the latter is found to be a charge-transfer insulator. In both cases the filling of these states is nominally d 9 , consistent with the standard Cu 2+ valence state, and Cu with a local magnetic moment of order 0.7 μ B . In the metallic case we find these states to be unusually flat (∼0.2 eV dispersion), giving a very high density of electronic states (DOS) at the Fermi level that we argue can be a host for novel electronic physics. The flatness of the bands is the likely origin of symmetry-lowering gapping possibilities that would remove the spectral weight from E F . Motivated by some initial experimental observations of metallic or semiconducting behavior, we propose that disorder (likely structural) is responsible for closing the gap. Here, we consider a variety of possibilities that could possibly close the charge-transfer gap but limit consideration to kinds of disorder that preserve electron count. Of the possible kinds we considered (spin disorder, O populating vacancy sites, and Cu on less energetically favorable Pb sites), the local Cu moment, and consequently the charge-transfer gap, remains robust. We conclude that disorder responsible for metallic behavior entails some kind of doping where the electron count changes. Further, we claim that the emergence of the flat bands should be due to weak wave function overlap between the orbitals on Cu and O sites, owing to the directional character of the constituent orbitals. Therefore, finding an appropriate host structure for minimizing hybridization between Cu and O while allowing them to still weakly interact should be a promising route for generating flat bands at E F which can lead to interesting electronic phenomena, regardless of whether LK-99 is a superconductor.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Lattice structure and dynamics of sparse molecular crystals: OsO4 and RuO4

This dataset contains input and output files from DFT simulations used to reproduce the electronic and phonon calculations of bulk and molecular OsO₄ and RuO₄. The files include data from initial electronic structure and phonon calculations performed using different functionals: PBE, PBEsol, and vdW-DF-optB86b. The computed phonon frequencies are compared with Raman crystal and gas-phase frequencies from existing literature, while the calculated phonon density of states (PhDOS) is compared with experimental PhDOS data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗