No Arabic abstract
Hydrogen arranges at dislocations in palladium to form nanoscale hydrides, changing the vibrational spectra. An ab initio hydrogen potential energy model versus Pd neighbor distances allows us to predict the vibrational excitations for H from absolute zero up to room temperature adjacent to a partial dislocation and with strain. Using the equilibrium distribution of hydrogen with temperature, we predict excitation spectra to explain new incoherent inelastic neutron-scattering measurements. At 0K, dislocation cores trap H to form nanometer-sized hydrides, while increased temperature dissolves the hydrides and disperses H throughout bulk Pd.
The anharmonic phenomena in Zirconium Hydrides and Deuterides, including {epsilon}-ZrH2, {gamma}-ZrH, and {gamma}-ZrD, have been investigated from aspects of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and lattice dynamics calculations within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). The observed multiple sharp peaks below harmonic multi-phonon bands in the experimental spectra of all three materials did not show up in the simulated INS spectra based on the harmonic approximation, indicating the existence of strong anharmonicity in those materials and the necessity of further explanations. We present a detailed study on the anharmonicity of zirconium hydrides/deuterides by exploring the 2D potential energy surface of hydrogen/deuterium atoms, and solving the corresponding 2D single-particle Schrodinger equation to get the eigenfrequencies. The obtained results well describe the experimental INS spectra and show harmonic behavior in the fundamental modes and strong anharmonicity at higher energies.
Ba2Ti2Fe2As4O is a self-doped superconductor exhibiting a Tc ~ 21.5 K and containing, distinctively with respect to other Fe-based superconductors, not only [Fe2As2] layers but also conducting [Ti2O] sheets. This compound exhibits a transition at T* ~ 125 K which has tentatively been assigned in the literature to a possible density-wave order. However, the nature of this density wave (whether it is a charge- or spin-induced) is still under debate. Magnetism in Ba2Ti2Fe2As4O has never been experimentally confirmed, which raises the question whether this superconductor might be non-magnetic or exhibiting a very weak magnetism. Here, we report evidence from inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements and ab initio calculations of phonon spectra pointing towards absence of magnetism in Ba2Ti2Fe2As4O. The INS measurements did not reveal any noticeable change of the phonon spectra across Tc, neither could magnetic effects be observed within the accessible (Q, E) space, setting Ba2Ti2Fe2As4O as an unconventional superconductor. The effect of magnetism on describing phonon spectra was further investigated by performing ab initio calculations. In this context, non-magnetic calculations reproduced well the measured phonon spectra. Therefore, our results indicate a non-magnetic and unconventional character of the superconductor Ba2Ti2Fe2As4O.
Sodium niobate (NaNbO3) exhibits most complex sequence of structural phase transitions in perovskite family and therefore provides as excellent model system for understanding the mechanism of structural phase transitions. We report temperature dependence of inelastic neutron scattering measurements of phonon densities of states in sodium niobate. The measurements are carried out in various crystallographic phases of this material at various temperatures from 300 K to 1048 K. The phonon spectra exhibit peaks centered around 19, 37, 51, 70 and 105 meV. Interestingly, the peak around 70 meV shifts significantly towards lower energy with increasing temperature, while the other peaks do not exhibit an appreciable change. The phonon spectra at 783 K show prominent change and become more diffusive as compared to those at 303 K. In order to better analyze these features, we have performed first principles lattice dynamics calculations based on the density functional theory. The computed phonon density of states is found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. Based on our calculation we are able to assign the characteristic Raman modes in the antiferroelectric phase to the A1g symmetry, which are due to the folding of the T (w=95 cm-1) and delta(w=129 cm-1) points of the cubic Brillouin zone.
We have performed quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering (QENS and INS) measurements from 300 K to 1173 K to investigate the Na-diffusion and underlying host dynamics in Na2Ti3O7. The QENS data show that the Na atoms undergo localized jumps up to 1173 K. The ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations supplement the measurements and show 1-d long-ranged diffusion along the a-axis above 1500 K. The simulations indicate that the occupancy of the interstitial site is critical for long-range diffusion. The nudged-elastic-band (NEB) calculation confirmed that the activation energy barrier is lowest for diffusion along the a-axis. In the experimental phonon spectra the peaks at 10 and 14 meV are dominated by Na dynamics that disappear on warming, suggesting low-energy phonons significantly contribute to large Na vibrational amplitude at elevated temperatures that enhances the Na hopping probability. We have also calculated the mode Gruneisen parameters of the phonons and thereby calculated the volume thermal expansion coefficient, which is found to be in excellent agreement with available experimental data.
The theory of incoherent nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation accompanied by absorption or emission of phonons in a crystal lattice is developed. The theory is based on the Maxwells equations and time-dependent quantum mechanics under the condition of incoherent scattering of radiation by various nuclei. A concept of coherence in scattering processes, properties of the synchrotron radiation, and conditions of measurement are discussed. We show that employing the monochromator with a narrow bandwidth plays a decisive role.