Weine Olovsson

Theoretical ELNES using one-particle and multi-particle calculations

One-, two-, and many-particle calculations for electron-energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) are reviewed. The most important point for the ELNES calculation is the proper introduction of the core-hole effect. By introducing the core-hole effect in a sufficiently large supercell, one-particle calculations are applicable to the ELNES of many edges. On the other hand, the two-particle interaction between the excited electron and the core-hole, namely the excitonic effect, is significant in the K edges of very light elements and the L(2,3) edges of Mg and Al. Many-particle interactions, including both electron-electron and electron-hole interactions, are indispensable for the L(2,3) edges of transition metals and the M(4,5) edges of lanthanides, namely white lines. In this review, we present the basics, methodologies, and some applications of one-, two-, and many-particle calculations. In addition, importance of momentum transfer vector in the ELNES calculations for comparison with the experiments is discussed.

Near-edge structures from first principles all-electron Bethe-Salpeter equation calculations

We obtain x-ray absorption near-edge structures (XANES) by solving the equation of motion for the two-particle Greens function for the electron-hole pair, the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE), within the all-electron full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FPLAPW). The excited states are calculated for the Li K-edge in the insulating solids LiF, Li(2)O and Li(2)S, and absorption spectra are compared with independent particle results using the random phase approximation (RPA), as well as supercell calculations using the core-hole approximation within density functional theory (DFT). The binding energies of strongly bound excitations are determined in the materials, and core-exciton wavefunctions are demonstrated for LiF.

The Be K-edge in beryllium oxide and chalcogenides: soft x-ray absorption spectra from first-principles theory and experiment

We have carried out a theoretical and experimental investigation of the beryllium K-edge soft x-ray absorption fine structure of beryllium compounds in the oxygen group, considering BeO, BeS, BeSe, and BeTe. Theoretical spectra are obtained ab initio, through many-body perturbation theory, by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE), and by supercell calculations using the core-hole approximation. All calculations are performed with the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method. It is found that the two different theoretical approaches produce a similar fine structure, in good agreement with the experimental data. Using the BSE results, we interpret the spectra, distinguishing between bound core-excitons and higher energy excitations.

Strong excitonic interactions in the oxygen K-edge of perovskite oxides.

Excitonic interactions of the oxygen K-edge electron energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) of perovskite oxides, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, and BaTiO3, together with reference oxides, MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, and TiO2, were investigated using a first-principles Bethe-Salpeter equation calculation. Although the transition energy of oxygen K-edge is high, strong excitonic interactions were present in the oxygen K-edge ELNES of the perovskite oxides, whereas the excitonic interactions were negligible in the oxygen K-edge ELNES of the reference compounds. Detailed investigation of the electronic structure suggests that the strong excitonic interaction in the oxygen K-edge ELNES of the perovskite oxides is caused by the directionally confined, low-dimensional electronic structure at the Ti-O-Ti bonds.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles with antioxidant capabilities and gadolinium integration for MRI contrast enhancement

The chelating gadolinium-complex is routinely used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -contrast enhancer. However, several safety issues have recently been reported by FDA and PRAC. There is an urgent need for the next generation of safer MRI-contrast enhancers, with improved local contrast and targeting capabilities. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeNPs) are designed with fractions of up to 50% gadolinium to utilize the superior MRI-contrast properties of gadolinium. CeNPs are well-tolerated in vivo and have redox properties making them suitable for biomedical applications, for example scavenging purposes on the tissue- and cellular level and during tumor treatment to reduce in vivo inflammatory processes. Our near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) studies show that implementation of gadolinium changes the initial co-existence of oxidation states Ce3+ and Ce4+ of cerium, thereby affecting the scavenging properties of the nanoparticles. Based on ab initio electronic structure calculations, we describe the most prominent spectral features for the respective oxidation states. The as-prepared gadolinium-implemented CeNPs are 3–5 nm in size, have r1-relaxivities between 7–13 mM−1 s−1 and show clear antioxidative properties, all of which means they are promising theranostic agents for use in future biomedical applications.

Origin of the core-level binding energy shifts in Au nanoclusters

We investigate the shifts of the core-level binding energies in small gold nanoclusters by using ab initio density-functional-theory calculations. The shift of the 4f states is calculated for magic ...

Highly Efficient Free Energy Calculations of the Fe Equation of State Using Temperature-Dependent Effective Potential Method

Free energy calculations at finite temperature based on ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations have become possible, but they are still highly computationally demanding. Besides, achieving simultaneously high accuracy of the calculated results and efficiency of the computational algorithm is still a challenge. In this work we describe an efficient algorithm to determine accurate free energies of solids in simulations using the recently proposed temperature-dependent effective potential method (TDEP). We provide a detailed analysis of numerical approximations employed in the TDEP algorithm. We show that for a model system considered in this work, hcp Fe, the obtained thermal equation of state at 2000 K is in excellent agreement with the results of standard calculations within the quasiharmonic approximation.

Strain sensitivity in the nitrogen 1s NEXAFS spectra of gallium nitride

Abstract The nitrogen 1s near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) of gallium nitride (GaN) shows a strong natural linear dichroism that arises from its anisotropic wurtzite structure. An additional spectroscopic variation arises from lattice strain in epitaxially grown GaN thin films. This variation is directly proportional to the degree of strain for some spectroscopic features. This strain variation is interpreted with the aid of density functional theory calculations.