Paolo Giannozzi

QUANTUM ESPRESSO: a modular and open-source software project for quantum simulations of materials

QUANTUM ESPRESSO is an integrated suite of computer codes for electronic-structure calculations and materials modeling, based on density-functional theory, plane waves, and pseudopotentials (norm-conserving, ultrasoft, and projector-augmented wave). The acronym ESPRESSO stands for opEn Source Package for Research in Electronic Structure, Simulation, and Optimization. It is freely available to researchers around the world under the terms of the GNU General Public License. QUANTUM ESPRESSO builds upon newly-restructured electronic-structure codes that have been developed and tested by some of the original authors of novel electronic-structure algorithms and applied in the last twenty years by some of the leading materials modeling groups worldwide. Innovation and efficiency are still its main focus, with special attention paid to massively parallel architectures, and a great effort being devoted to user friendliness. QUANTUM ESPRESSO is evolving towards a distribution of independent and interoperable codes in the spirit of an open-source project, where researchers active in the field of electronic-structure calculations are encouraged to participate in the project by contributing their own codes or by implementing their own ideas into existing codes.

Phonons and related crystal properties from density-functional perturbation theory

This article reviews the current status of lattice-dynamical calculations in crystals, using density-functional perturbation theory, with emphasis on the plane-wave pseudopotential method. Several specialized topics are treated, including the implementation for metals, the calculation of the response to macroscopic electric fields and their relevance to long-wavelength vibrations in polar materials, the response to strain deformations, and higher-order responses. The success of this methodology is demonstrated with a number of applications existing in the literature.

Gas adsorption on graphene doped with B, N, Al, and S: A theoretical study

The adsorption of several common gas molecules over boron-, nitrogen-, aluminum-, and sulfur-doped graphene was theoretically studied using density-functional theory. B- and N-doped graphene retain a planar form, while Al and S atoms protrude out of the graphene layer. We find that only NO and NO2 bind to B-doped graphene, while only NO2 binds to S-doped graphene. Al-doped graphene is much more reactive and binds many more gases, including O2. We suggest that B- and S-doped graphene could be a good sensor for polluting gases such as NO and NO2.

Reproducibility in density functional theory calculations of solids

A comparison of DFT methods Density functional theory (DFT) is now routinely used for simulating material properties. Many software packages are available, which makes it challenging to know which are the best to use for a specific calculation. Lejaeghere et al. compared the calculated values for the equation of states for 71 elemental crystals from 15 different widely used DFT codes employing 40 different potentials (see the Perspective by Skylaris). Although there were variations in the calculated values, most recent codes and methods converged toward a single value, with errors comparable to those of experiment. Science, this issue p. 10.1126/science.aad3000; see also p. 1394 A survey of recent density functional theory methods shows a convergence to more accurate property calculations. [Also see Perspective by Skylaris] INTRODUCTION The reproducibility of results is one of the underlying principles of science. An observation can only be accepted by the scientific community when it can be confirmed by independent studies. However, reproducibility does not come easily. Recent works have painfully exposed cases where previous conclusions were not upheld. The scrutiny of the scientific community has also turned to research involving computer programs, finding that reproducibility depends more strongly on implementation than commonly thought. These problems are especially relevant for property predictions of crystals and molecules, which hinge on precise computer implementations of the governing equation of quantum physics. RATIONALE This work focuses on density functional theory (DFT), a particularly popular quantum method for both academic and industrial applications. More than 15,000 DFT papers are published each year, and DFT is now increasingly used in an automated fashion to build large databases or apply multiscale techniques with limited human supervision. Therefore, the reproducibility of DFT results underlies the scientific credibility of a substantial fraction of current work in the natural and engineering sciences. A plethora of DFT computer codes are available, many of them differing considerably in their details of implementation, and each yielding a certain “precision” relative to other codes. How is one to decide for more than a few simple cases which code predicts the correct result, and which does not? We devised a procedure to assess the precision of DFT methods and used this to demonstrate reproducibility among many of the most widely used DFT codes. The essential part of this assessment is a pairwise comparison of a wide range of methods with respect to their predictions of the equations of state of the elemental crystals. This effort required the combined expertise of a large group of code developers and expert users. RESULTS We calculated equation-of-state data for four classes of DFT implementations, totaling 40 methods. Most codes agree very well, with pairwise differences that are comparable to those between different high-precision experiments. Even in the case of pseudization approaches, which largely depend on the atomic potentials used, a similar precision can be obtained as when using the full potential. The remaining deviations are due to subtle effects, such as specific numerical implementations or the treatment of relativistic terms. CONCLUSION Our work demonstrates that the precision of DFT implementations can be determined, even in the absence of one absolute reference code. Although this was not the case 5 to 10 years ago, most of the commonly used codes and methods are now found to predict essentially identical results. The established precision of DFT codes not only ensures the reproducibility of DFT predictions but also puts several past and future developments on a firmer footing. Any newly developed methodology can now be tested against the benchmark to verify whether it reaches the same level of precision. New DFT applications can be shown to have used a sufficiently precise method. Moreover, high-precision DFT calculations are essential for developing improvements to DFT methodology, such as new density functionals, which may further increase the predictive power of the simulations. Recent DFT methods yield reproducible results. Whereas older DFT implementations predict different values (red darts), codes have now evolved to mutual agreement (green darts). The scoreboard illustrates the good pairwise agreement of four classes of DFT implementations (horizontal direction) with all-electron results (vertical direction). Each number reflects the average difference between the equations of state for a given pair of methods, with the green-to-red color scheme showing the range from the best to the poorest agreement. The widespread popularity of density functional theory has given rise to an extensive range of dedicated codes for predicting molecular and crystalline properties. However, each code implements the formalism in a different way, raising questions about the reproducibility of such predictions. We report the results of a community-wide effort that compared 15 solid-state codes, using 40 different potentials or basis set types, to assess the quality of the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof equations of state for 71 elemental crystals. We conclude that predictions from recent codes and pseudopotentials agree very well, with pairwise differences that are comparable to those between different high-precision experiments. Older methods, however, have less precise agreement. Our benchmark provides a framework for users and developers to document the precision of new applications and methodological improvements.

Oxygen adsorption on graphite and nanotubes

We study the binding of molecular oxygen to a graphene sheet and to a (8,0) single walled carbon nanotube, by means of spin-unrestricted density-functional calculations. We find that triplet oxygen retains its spin-polarized state when interacting with graphene or the nanotube. This leads to the formation of a weak bond with essentially no charge transfer between the molecule and the sheet or tube, as one would expect for a physisorptive bond. This result is independent on the approximation used for the exchange-correlation functional. The binding strength, however, depends strongly on the functional, reflecting the inability of current approximation functionals to deal correctly with dispersion forces. Gradient-corrected functionals yield very weak binding at distances around 4 A, whereas local density functional results yield substantially stronger binding for both graphene and the nanotube at distances of less than 3 A. The picture of oxygen physisorption is not substantially altered by the presence of topological defects such as 5–7 Stone–Wales pairs.

Advanced capabilities for materials modelling with Quantum ESPRESSO

Quantum ESPRESSO is an integrated suite of open-source computer codes for quantum simulations of materials using state-of-the art electronic-structure techniques, based on density-functional theory, density-functional perturbation theory, and many-body perturbation theory, within the plane-wave pseudo-potential and projector-augmented-wave approaches. Quantum ESPRESSO owes its popularity to the wide variety of properties and processes it allows to simulate, to its performance on an increasingly broad array of hardware architectures, and to a community of researchers that rely on its capabilities as a core open-source development platform to implement theirs ideas. In this paper we describe recent extensions and improvements, covering new methodologies and property calculators, improved parallelization, code modularization, and extended interoperability both within the distribution and with external software.Quantum EXPRESSO is an integrated suite of open-source computer codes for quantum simulations of materials using state-of-the-art electronic-structure techniques, based on density-functional theory, density-functional perturbation theory, and many-body perturbation theory, within the plane-wave pseudopotential and projector-augmented-wave approaches. Quantum EXPRESSO owes its popularity to the wide variety of properties and processes it allows to simulate, to its performance on an increasingly broad array of hardware architectures, and to a community of researchers that rely on its capabilities as a core open-source development platform to implement their ideas. In this paper we describe recent extensions and improvements, covering new methodologies and property calculators, improved parallelization, code modularization, and extended interoperability both within the distribution and with external software.

Reaction Pathways for Oxygen Evolution Promoted by Cobalt Catalyst

The in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the water oxidation catalysis is of key relevance for the rationalization and the design of efficient oxygen evolution catalysts based on earth-abundant transition metals. Performing ab initio DFT+U molecular dynamics calculations of cluster models in explicit water solution, we provide insight into the pathways for oxygen evolution of a cobalt-based catalyst (CoCat). The fast motion of protons at the CoCat/water interface and the occurrence of cubane-like Co-oxo units at the catalyst boundaries are the keys to unlock the fast formation of O-O bonds. Along the resulting pathways, we identified the formation of Co(IV)-oxyl species as the driving ingredient for the activation of the catalytic mechanism, followed by their geminal coupling with O atoms coordinated by the same Co. Concurrent nucleophilic attack of water molecules coming directly from the water solution is discouraged by high activation barriers. The achieved results suggest also interesting similarities between the CoCat and the Mn4Ca-oxo oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II.

Density-Functional Perturbation Theory for Quasi-Harmonic Calculations

Computer simulations allow for the investigation of many materials properties and processes that are not easily accessible in the laboratory. This is particularly true in the Earth sciences, where the relevant pressures and temperatures may be so extreme that no experimental techniques can operate at those conditions. Computer modeling is often the only source of information on the properties of materials that, combined with indirect evidence (such as e.g. seismic data), allows one to discriminate among competing planetary models. Many computer simulations are performed using effective inter-atomic potentials taylored to reproduce some experimentally observed properties of the materials being investigated. The remoteness of the physically interesting conditions from those achievable in the laboratory, as well as the huge variety of different atomic coordination and local chemical state occurring in the Earth interior, make the dependability of semi-empirical potentials questionable. First-principles techniques based on density-functional theory (DFT) (Hohenberg & Kohn 1964, Kohn & Sham 1965) are much more predictive, not being biased by any prior experimental input, and have demonstrated a considerable accuracy in a wide class of materials and variety of external conditions. The importance of thermal effects in the range of phenomena interesting to the Earth sciences makes a proper account of atomic

Thirteen‐atom clusters: Equilibrium geometries, structural transformations, and trends in Na, Mg, Al, and Si

We report the results of an extensive structural study of Na13, Mg13, Al13, and Si13 carried out with the Car–Parrinello method. Several and mostly unforeseen noncrystalline structures are discovered to characterize the low portion of the potential energy surface. Crystalline structures are shown either to correspond to high‐energy local minima or to be highly unstable. The low‐energy structural pattern appears to change significantly from one element to the other. Specific characteristics as well as trends are discussed.

Towards Very Large-Scale Electronic-Structure Calculations

We present a new approach to density functional theory, which does not require the calculation of Kohn-Sham orbitals. The computational workload required by our method—which is based on the calculation of selected elements of the Greens function—scales linearly with the volume of the system, thus opening the way to first-principles calculations for very large systems. Some of the problems which still hinder the achievement of this goal are discussed, and possible solutions are outlined. As an application, we calculate the charge density of a model silicon supercell containing 64 atoms slightly displaced at random from equilibrium.