First-principles calculations of hyperfine parameters

NMR Crystallography Structure Determinations with 1H Chemical Shifts. GIPAW DFT Calculation Quality Can Be Substantially Degraded, but Nearly Identical Outputs Relative to Benchmark Computations Are Obtained: Why and So What?

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) crystallography may be used in various solid-state structural characterization tasks. For organic compounds in this context, proton isotropic chemical shifts [δiso(1H)] are routinely used. It is typical to pair experimentally measured proton δiso values with δiso values that were computationally generated from crystal structure models. This can yield a δiso(1H) root-mean-squared deviation (RMSD) value for each crystal structure model. In this study, we monitor the way in which gauge including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) density functional theory (DFT) computations of 1H δiso values can be influenced by the quality of the computational input parameters. We consider 126 computationally generated (using crystal structure prediction, CSP) crystal structures for three molecules: cocaine (30 structures), flutamide (21 structures), and ampicillin (75 structures). The quality parameters selected are the plane wave energy cutoff (Ecut), and the k-point grid used to sample reciprocal (i.e., momentum) space. We also probe the utility of performing one-parameter and two-parameter linear mappings for transforming computed hydrogen isotropic magnetic shielding values (σiso) into computed δiso(1H) values. We find that both Ecut and the k-point grid can be degraded substantially (e.g., Ecut ∼ 25 Ry) and yet still produce very similar computed δiso(1H) values. We consider the mechanisms under GIPAW DFT that contribute to computed hydrogen σiso values to help understand this robustness: many contributions are zero or cancel out when converting σiso values to δiso(1H) values via the linear mapping. The robust nature of computed δiso(1H) values leads to consistent estimates of δiso(1H) RMSD values. It is then demonstrated using cocaine and flutamide that when δiso(1H) RMSD values are used in NMR crystallography tasks such as structure selection/determination, the quality of the GIPAW DFT computation can be severely degraded and still produce identical outcomes to those that used a more computationally intensive protocol. Ampicillin is selected as a practical example to probe how our findings might reasonably be applied in the structure determination of a complex organic molecule. We propose that relatively modest quality GIPAW DFT computations (i.e., Ecut = 35 Ry and a 1 × 1 × 1 k-point grid) may be used to first filter out obviously poor structure candidates. Subsequently, slightly higher quality GIPAW DFT computations can be used for structure selection/determination. Our findings indicate that it should be possible to, on average, reduce the computational resources required in such NMR crystallography tasks by approximately a factor of 3-4 in terms of CPU time.

Hyperfine interactions for small systems including transition-metal elements using self-interaction corrected density-functional theory

The interactions between the electronic magnetic moment and the nuclear spin moment, i.e., magnetic hyperfine (HF) interactions, play an important role in understanding electronic properties of magnetic systems and in realizing platforms for quantum information science applications. We investigate the HF interactions for atomic systems and small molecules, including Ti or Mn, by using Fermi-Löwdin orbital (FLO) based self-interaction corrected (SIC) density-functional theory. We calculate the Fermi contact (FC) and spin-dipole terms for the systems within the local density approximation (LDA) in the FLO-SIC method and compare them with the corresponding values without SIC within the LDA and generalized-gradient approximation (GGA), as well as experimental data. For the moderately heavy atomic systems (atomic number Z ≤ 25), we find that the mean absolute error of the FLO-SIC FC term is about 27 MHz (percentage error is 6.4%), while that of the LDA and GGA results is almost double that. Therefore, in this case, the FLO-SIC results are in better agreement with the experimental data. For the non-transition-metal molecules, the FLO-SIC FC term has the mean absolute error of 68 MHz, which is comparable to both the LDA and GGA results without SIC. For the seven transition-metal-based molecules, the FLO-SIC mean absolute error is 59 MHz, whereas the corresponding LDA and GGA errors are 101 and 82 MHz, respectively. Therefore, for the transition-metal-based molecules, the FLO-SIC FC term agrees better with experiment than the LDA and GGA results. We observe that the FC term from the FLO-SIC calculation is not necessarily larger than that from the LDA or GGA for all the considered systems due to the core spin polarization, in contrast to the expectation that SIC would increase the spin density near atomic nuclei, leading to larger FC terms.

Interplay of magnetic states and hyperfine fields of iron dimers on MgO(001)

Individual nuclear spin states can have very long lifetimes and could be useful as qubits. Progress in this direction was achieved on MgO/Ag(001) via detection of the hyperfine interaction (HFI) of Fe, Ti and Cu adatoms using scanning tunneling microscopy. Previously, we systematically quantified from first-principles the HFI for the whole series of 3d transition adatoms (Sc-Cu) deposited on various ultra-thin insulators, establishing the trends of the computed HFI with respect to the filling of the magnetic s- and d-orbitals of the adatoms and on the bonding with the substrate. Here we explore the case of dimers by investigating the correlation between the HFI and the magnetic state of free standing Fe dimers, single Fe adatoms and dimers deposited on a bilayer of MgO(001). We find that the magnitude of the HFI can be controlled by switching the magnetic state of the dimers. For short Fe-Fe distances, the antiferromagnetic state enhances the HFI with respect to that of the ferromagnetic state. By increasing the distance between the magnetic atoms, a transition toward the opposite behavior is observed. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to substantially modify the HFI by atomic control of the location of the adatoms on the substrate. Our results establish the limits of applicability of the usual hyperfine hamiltonian and we propose an extension based on multiple scattering processes.

Compound-tunable embedding potential method: Analisys of pseudopotentials for Yb in YbF2, YbF3, YbCl2 and YbCl3 crystals

Compound-tunable embedding potential (CTEP) method developed in [Lomachuk et al., PCCP, 2020, 22, 17922; Maltsev et al., PRB, 2021, 103, 205105] to describe electronic structure of fragments and point defects...

Accurate frozen core approximation for all-electron density-functional theory

We implement and benchmark the frozen core approximation, a technique commonly adopted in electronic structure theory to reduce the computational cost by means of mathematically fixing the chemically inactive core electron states. The accuracy and efficiency of this approach are well controlled by a single parameter, the number of frozen orbitals. Explicit corrections for the frozen core orbitals and the unfrozen valence orbitals are introduced, safeguarding against seemingly minor numerical deviations from the assumed orthonormality conditions of the basis functions. A speedup of over twofold can be achieved for the diagonalization step in all-electron density-functional theory simulations containing heavy elements, without any accuracy degradation in terms of the electron density, total energy, and atomic forces. This is demonstrated in a benchmark study covering 103 materials across the Periodic Table and a large-scale simulation of CsPbBr₃ with 2560 atoms. Our study provides a rigorous benchmark of the precision of the frozen core approximation (sub-meV per atom for frozen core orbitals below -200 eV) for a wide range of test cases and for chemical elements ranging from Li to Po. The algorithms discussed here are implemented in the open-source Electronic Structure Infrastructure software package.

Ionic and Electronic Conduction in TiNb2O7

TiNb₂O₇ is a Wadsley-Roth phase with a crystallographic shear structure and is a promising candidate for high-rate lithium ion energy storage. The fundamental aspects of the lithium insertion mechanism and conduction in TiNb₂O₇, however, are not well-characterized. Herein, experimental and computational insights are combined to understand the inherent properties of bulk TiNb₂O₇. The results show an increase in electronic conductivity of seven orders of magnitude upon lithiation and indicate that electrons exhibit both localized and delocalized character, with a maximum Curie constant and Li NMR paramagnetic shift near a composition of Li_0.60TiNb₂O₇. Square-planar or distorted-five-coordinate lithium sites are calculated to invert between thermodynamic minima or transition states. Lithium diffusion in the single-redox region (i.e., x ≤ 3 in Li_xTiNb₂O₇) is rapid with low activation barriers from NMR and D_Li = 10^-11 m² s^-1 at the temperature of the observed T₁ minima of 525-650 K for x ≥ 0.75. DFT calculations predict that ionic diffusion, like electronic conduction, is anisotropic with activation barriers for lithium hopping of 100-200 meV down the tunnels but ca. 700-1000 meV across the blocks. Lithium mobility is hindered in the multiredox region (i.e., x > 3 in Li_xTiNb₂O₇), related to a transition from interstitial-mediated to vacancy-mediated diffusion. Overall, lithium insertion leads to effective n-type self-doping of TiNb₂O₇ and high-rate conduction, while ionic motion is eventually hindered at high lithiation. Transition-state searching with beyond Li chemistries (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺) in TiNb₂O₇ reveals high diffusion barriers of 1-3 eV, indicating that this structure is specifically suited to Li⁺ mobility.

Chemical shift reference scale for Li solid state NMR derived by first-principles DFT calculations

For studying electrode and electrolyte materials for lithium ion batteries, solid-state (SS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of lithium moves into focus of current research. Theoretical simulations of magnetic resonance parameters facilitate the analysis and interpretation of experimental Li SS-NMR spectra and provide unique insight into physical and chemical processes that are determining the spectral profile. In the present paper, the accuracy and reliability of the theoretical simulation methods of Li chemical shielding values is benchmarked by establishing a reference scale for Li SS-NMR of diamagnetic compounds. The impact of geometry, ionic mobility and relativity are discussed. Eventually, the simulation methods are applied to the more complex lithium titanate spinel (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, LTO), which is a widely discussed battery anode material. Simulation of the Li SS-NMR spectrum shows that the commonly adopted approach of assigning the resonances to individual crystallographic sites is not unambiguous.

Measurement of the spin temperature of optically cooled nuclei and GaAs hyperfine constants in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots

Deep cooling of electron and nuclear spins is equivalent to achieving polarization degrees close to 100% and is a key requirement in solid-state quantum information technologies. While polarization of individual nuclear spins in diamond and SiC (ref. ) reaches 99% and beyond, it has been limited to 50-65% for the nuclei in quantum dots. Theoretical models have attributed this limit to formation of coherent 'dark' nuclear spin states but experimental verification is lacking, especially due to the poor accuracy of polarization degree measurements. Here we measure the nuclear polarization in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots with high accuracy using a new approach enabled by manipulation of the nuclear spin states with radiofrequency pulses. Polarizations up to 80% are observed-the highest reported so far for optical cooling in quantum dots. This value is still not limited by nuclear coherence effects. Instead we find that optically cooled nuclei are well described within a classical spin temperature framework. Our findings unlock a route for further progress towards quantum dot electron spin qubits where deep cooling of the mesoscopic nuclear spin ensemble is used to achieve long qubit coherence. Moreover, GaAs hyperfine material constants are measured here experimentally for the first time.

The lead acceptor in p-type natural 2H-polytype MoS2 crystals evidenced by electron paramagnetic resonance

A low-temperature (T  =  1.5-8 K) electron paramagnetic resonance study of p-type 2H-polytype natural MoS₂ crystals reveals a previously unreported anisotropic signal of corresponding defect density (spin S  =  ½) ~5  ×  10¹⁴ cm^-3. For the applied magnetic field B//c-axis, the response is comprised of a single central asymmetric Zeeman peak at zero-crossing g  =  2.102(1), amid a symmetrically positioned hyperfine doublet of splitting 6.6(2) G. Field angular observations reveal a two-branch g pattern, indicative of a defect of lower than axial symmetry, likely orthorhombic (C _2v). Based on the signal specifics, it is ascribed to a system of decoupled Pb impurities substituting for Mo, the defect operating as an acceptor, with estimated thermal activation energy  >10 meV. Supporting theoretical anticipation, the results pinpoint the conduct of the Pb impurity in layered MoS₂.

Combining solid-state NMR spectroscopy with first-principles calculations - a guide to NMR crystallography

Recent advances in the application of first-principles calculations of NMR parameters to periodic systems have resulted in widespread interest in their use to support experimental measurement. Such calculations often play an important role in the emerging field of "NMR crystallography", where NMR spectroscopy is combined with techniques such as diffraction, to aid structure determination. Here, we discuss the current state-of-the-art for combining experiment and calculation in NMR spectroscopy, considering the basic theory behind the computational approaches and their practical application. We consider the issues associated with geometry optimisation and how the effects of temperature may be included in the calculation. The automated prediction of structural candidates and the treatment of disordered and dynamic solids are discussed. Finally, we consider the areas where further development is needed in this field and its potential future impact.

First-principles study of hydrogen configurations at the core of a high-angle grain boundary in cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia

Hydrogen is a common impurity in oxides and has been studied extensively by first-principles electronic structure methods. From the calculated charge-transition levels and their position with respect to the conduction-band edge, definitive conclusions can be drawn concerning the electrical activity of hydrogen either as an isolated defect or as part of a defect complex with intrinsic defects of the host lattice. For those oxides such as yttria-stabilized zirconia, which in many cases are used in polycrystalline or nanocrystalline forms, the interaction of hydrogen with grain boundaries needs to be better understood. Using both density-functional theory in the generalized-gradient approximation and a hybrid-functional approach, the present study reports on the types of isolated hydrogen configuration that can be stabilized at the core of the Σ5(310) tilt grain boundary, an interface whose atomistic structure has been determined in good detail by Z-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Initially, the present calculations elucidated the major relaxation modes that lead to low-energy structures for this boundary. Hydrogen exhibited dual behavior by binding to oxygen ions in bond-type OH(-) configurations in its positively charged state, H(+), whereas the negative H(-) species occupied preferably interstitial positions in the available empty space of the grain-boundary core regions. The neutral paramagnetic state, H(0), detected recently in muonium-based spectroscopic studies, was found to be stable in two different configurations: a deep-donor bond-type and a higher-energy quasiatomic interstitial. These configurations are characterized in terms of the trapping character of their excess electron, the spatial localization of the spin density and the resulting hyperfine parameters.

Anisotropic elasticity of DyScO3 substrates

The full elastic tensor of orthorhombic dysprosium scandate (DyScO(3)) at room temperature was determined by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). Measurements were performed on three 500 μm thick substrates with orientations (110), (100) and (001) in the Pbnm (a < b < c) setting. For this purpose, a modification of the RUS method was developed, enabling simultaneous processing of the resonant spectra of several platelet-shaped samples with different crystallographic orientations. The obtained results are compared with ab initio calculations and with elastic constants of other rare-earth scandates, and are used for discussion of the in-plane elasticity of the (110)-oriented substrate.

Perspective: relativistic effects

This perspective article discusses some broadly-known and some less broadly-known consequences of Einstein's special relativity in quantum chemistry, and provides a brief outline of the theoretical methods currently in use, along with a discussion of recent developments and selected applications. The treatment of the electron correlation problem in relativistic quantum chemistry methods, and expanding the reach of the available relativistic methods to calculate all kinds of energy derivative properties, in particular spectroscopic and magnetic properties, requires on-going efforts.

Confinement effects and hyperfine structure in se doped silicon nanowires

We report a density functional study of the electronic properties and hyperfine structure of substitutional selenium in silicon nanowires using plane-wave pseudopotential techniques. We simulated hydrogen passivated [001] oriented nanowires with a diameter up to 2 nm, analyzing the effect of quantum confinement on the defect formation energy and on the hyperfine parameters as a function of the diameter and of the defect position. We show that substitutional Se in silicon has favorable configurations for positions near the surface with possible formation of chalcogen-hydrogen complexes. We also show that hyperfine interactions increase at small diameters, as long as the nanowire is large enough to prevent surface distortion which modifies the symmetry of the donor wave function. Moreover, surface effects lead to strong differences in the hyperfine parameters depending on the Se location inside the nanowire, allowing the identification of an impurity site on the basis of electron paramagnetic resonance spectra.

Enhanced NMR relaxation of Tomonaga-Luttinger liquids and the magnitude of the carbon hyperfine coupling in single-wall carbon nanotubes

Recent transport measurements [Churchill et al. Nature Phys. 5, 321 (2009)] found a surprisingly large, 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than usual (13)C hyperfine coupling (HFC) in (13)C enriched single-wall carbon nanotubes. We formulate the theory of the nuclear relaxation time in the framework of the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid theory to enable the determination of the HFC from recent data by Ihara et al. [Europhys. Lett. 90, 17,004 (2010)]. Though we find that 1/T(1) is orders of magnitude enhanced with respect to a Fermi-liquid behavior, the HFC has its usual, small value. Then, we reexamine the theoretical description used to extract the HFC from transport experiments and show that similar features could be obtained with HFC-independent system parameters.

The PAW/GIPAW approach for computing NMR parameters: a new dimension added to NMR study of solids

In 2001, Mauri and Pickard introduced the gauge including projected augmented wave (GIPAW) method that enabled for the first time the calculation of all-electron NMR parameters in solids, i.e. accounting for periodic boundary conditions. The GIPAW method roots in the plane wave pseudopotential formalism of the density functional theory (DFT), and avoids the use of the cluster approximation. This method has undoubtedly revitalized the interest in quantum chemical calculations in the solid-state NMR community. It has quickly evolved and improved so that the calculation of the key components of NMR interactions, namely the shielding and electric field gradient tensors, has now become a routine for most of the common nuclei studied in NMR. Availability of reliable implementations in several software packages (CASTEP, Quantum Espresso, PARATEC) make its usage more and more increasingly popular, maybe indispensable in near future for all material NMR studies. The majority of nuclei of the periodic table have already been investigated by GIPAW, and because of its high accuracy it is quickly becoming an essential tool for interpreting and understanding experimental NMR spectra, providing reliable assignments of the observed resonances to crystallographic sites or enabling a priori prediction of NMR data. The continuous increase of computing power makes ever larger (and thus more realistic) systems amenable to first-principles analysis. In the near future perspectives, as the incorporation of dynamical effects and/or disorder are still at their early developments, these areas will certainly be the prime target.

Prediction of NMR J-coupling in solids with the planewave pseudopotential approach

We review the calculation of NMR J-coupling in solid materials using the planewave pseudopotential formalism of Density Functional Theory. The methodology is briefly summarised and an account of recent applications is given. We discuss various aspects of the calculations which should be taken into account when comparing results with solid-state NMR experiments including anisotropy and orientation of the J tensors, the reduced coupling constant, and the relation between J and crystal structure.

First-principles calculation of parameters of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in solids

The hyperfine A-tensor and Zeeman g-tensor parameterize the interaction of an 'effective' electron spin with the magnetic field due to the nuclear spin and the homogeneous external magnetic field, respectively. The A- and g-tensors are the quantities of primary interest in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In this paper, we review our work [E.S. Kadantsev, T. Ziegler, J. Phys. Chem. A 2008, 112, 4521; E. S. Kadantsev, T. Ziegler, J. Phys. Chem. A 2009, 113, 1327] on the calculation of these EPR parameters under periodic boundary conditions (PBC) from first-principles. Our methodology is based on the Kohn-Sham DFT (KS DFT), explicit usage of Bloch basis set made up of numerical and Slater-type atomic orbitals (NAOs/STOs), and is implemented in the 'full potential' program BAND. Our implementation does not rely on the frozen core approximation. The NAOs/STOs basis is well suited for the accurate representation of the electron density near the nuclei, a prerequisite for the calculation of highly accurate hyperfine parameters. In the case of g-tensor, our implementation is based on the method of Van Lenthe et al. [E. van Lenthe, P. E. S. Wormer, A. van der Avoird, J. Chem. Phys. 1997, 107, 2488] in which the spin-orbital coupling is taken into account variationally. We demonstrate the viability of our scheme by calculating EPR parameters of paramagnetic defects in solids. We consider the A-tensor of 'normal' and 'anomalous' muonium defect in IIIA-VA semiconductors as well as the S2 anion radical in KCl host crystal lattice.

Electric field gradient calculations in paramagnetic compounds using the PAW approach. Application to ²³Na NMR in layered vanadium phosphates

This article presents ab initio calculations of electric field gradient (EFG) parameters as a tool for the structural characterization of paramagnetic crystalline compounds. Previously reported ²³Na NMR parameters of vanadium + IV containing vanado-phosphate compounds were computed within density functional theory using both cluster and fully periodic approaches. Quadrupolar parameter values measured by ²³Na NMR experiments were reproduced with a level of accuracy comparable to that achievable in diamagnetic compounds and allowed the assignment of observed ²³Na NMR signals. This work demonstrates the utility of the periodic planewave pseudopotential + PAW approach for the calculation of EFG parameters in paramagnetic compounds.

Intermolecular shielding contributions studied by modeling the (13)C chemical-shift tensors of organic single crystals with plane waves

In order to predict accurately the chemical shift of NMR-active nuclei in solid phase systems, magnetic shielding calculations must be capable of considering the complete lattice structure. Here we assess the accuracy of the density functional theory gauge-including projector augmented wave method, which uses pseudopotentials to approximate the nodal structure of the core electrons, to determine the magnetic properties of crystals by predicting the full chemical-shift tensors of all (13)C nuclides in 14 organic single crystals from which experimental tensors have previously been reported. Plane-wave methods use periodic boundary conditions to incorporate the lattice structure, providing a substantial improvement for modeling the chemical shifts in hydrogen-bonded systems. Principal tensor components can now be predicted to an accuracy that approaches the typical experimental uncertainty. Moreover, methods that include the full solid-phase structure enable geometry optimizations to be performed on the input structures prior to calculation of the shielding. Improvement after optimization is noted here even when neutron diffraction data are used for determining the initial structures. After geometry optimization, the isotropic shift can be predicted to within 1 ppm.

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.

Radiation-induced radicals in glucose-1-phosphate. II. DFT analysis of structures and possible formation mechanisms

Four radiation-induced carbon-centered radicals in dipotassium glucose-1-phosphate dihydrate single crystals are examined with DFT methods, consistently relying on a periodic computational scheme. Starting from a set of plausible radical models, EPR hyperfine coupling tensors are calculated for optimized structures and compared with data obtained from EPR/ENDOR measurements, which are described in part I of this work. In this way, an independent structural identification is made of all the radicals that were observed in the experiments (R1-R4) and tentative reaction schemes are proposed. Also, the first strong evidence for conformational freedom in sugar radicals is established: two species are found to have the same chemical composition but different conformations and consequently different hyperfine coupling tensors. Analysis of the calculated energies for all model compounds suggests that the radiation chemistry of sugars, in general, is kinetically and not necessarily thermodynamically controlled.

Size limits on doping phosphorus into silicon nanocrystals

We studied the electronic properties of phosphorus-doped silicon nanocrystals using the real-space first-principles pseudopotential method. We simulated nanocrystals with a diameter of up to 6 nm and made a direct comparison with experimental measurement for the first time for these systems. Our calculated size dependence of hyperfine splitting was in excellent agreement with experimental data. We also found a critical nanocrystal size below which we predicted that the dopant will be ejected to the surface.

Chemical shift computations on a crystallographic basis: some reflections and comments

Computations for chemical shifts of molecular organic compounds using the gauge-including projector augmented wave method and the NMR-CASTEP code are reviewed. The methods are briefly introduced, and some general aspects involving the sources of uncertainty in the results are explored. The limitations are outlined. Successful applications of the computations to problems of interpretation of NMR results are discussed and the range of areas in which useful information is obtained is illustrated by examples. The particular value of the computations for comparing shifts between resonances where the same chemical site is involved is emphasised. Such cases arise for shifts between different crystallographically independent molecules of the same chemical species, between polymorphs and for shift anisotropies and asymmetries.

Gadolinium (III) ion in liquid water: Structure, dynamics, and magnetic interactions from first principles

We applied first principles molecular dynamics (MD) technique to study structure, dynamics, and magnetic interactions of the Gd(3+) aqua ion dissolved in liquid water, a prototypical system for Gd-based complexes used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. The first coordination sphere contains eight water molecules with an average Gd-O distance of 2.37 A and an average geometric arrangement close to a square antiprism. The mean tilt angle of the electric dipole vector of these water molecules is theta=145 degrees . In our picosecond time scale simulation we observe no exchange event from the first coordination sphere but only fast "wagging" motions. The second coordination sphere is well pronounced though water molecules in this sphere are subjected to large amplitude dynamic motions. The isotropic hyperfine coupling constants for the inner sphere water molecules [A(iso)((17)O(I))=0.65+/-0.03 MHz, A(iso)((1)H(I))=0.085+/-0.005 MHz] are in good agreement with experimental data and with an earlier study using classical MD. Second sphere Fermi contact hyperfine coupling constants calculated are more than one order of magnitude smaller and of opposite sign as those of the first coordination sphere. The effect of spin polarization induced by the paramagnetic Gd(3+) ion on the dipolar hyperfine interaction was found to be sizable only for the (17)O nuclei of inner sphere water molecules and has a screening character.

Quantum confinement in phosphorus-doped silicon nanocrystals

Electronic properties of phosphorus donors in hydrogenated silicon nanocrystals are investigated using a real-space ab initio pseudopotential method for systems with up to 500 atoms. We present calculations for the ionization energy, binding energy, and electron density associated with the doped nanocrystal. We find that the ionization energy for the nanocrystal is virtually independent of size. This behavior may be attributed to localization of the electron around the impurity site owing to a large electron-impurity interaction within confined systems. In contrast to this result, the calculated hyperfine splitting exhibits a strong size dependence. For small nanocrystals it greatly exceeds the bulk value. This finding agrees with recent experimental measurements.

Charge state dependent Jahn-Teller distortions of the e-center defect in crystalline Si

The atomic and electronic structures of a lattice vacancy trapped next to an As impurity (the E-center defect) in crystalline Si are investigated using ab initio pseudopotential total energy calculations. Jahn-Teller distortions and energies, reorientation barriers, defect wave function characters, and hyperfine coupling parameters associated with (-) and (0) charge states of the E center are calculated using a combination of real-space cluster and plane wave supercell methods. For the first time in the theoretical study of this defect, the senses of the Jahn-Teller distortions in the two charge states are found to be opposite, changing from a large pairing type in (0) to a large resonant-bond type distortion in the (-) charge state, in agreement with experimental data.

E' centers in alpha quartz in the absence of oxygen vacancies: a first-principles molecular-dynamics study

The displacement of an oxygen atom in pure alpha quartz is studied via first-principles molecular dynamics. The simulations show that when an O atom in a Si-O-Si bridge is moved away from its original equilibrium position, a new stable energy minimum can be reached. Depending on the spin state and charge Q of the system, this minimum can give rise to either a threefold oxygen (singlet ground state and Q=+1) or to an unsaturated Si atom carrying a dangling bond (triplet state). In the latter case, the hyperfine parameters associated with the 29Si dangling bond are in rather good agreement with electron paramagnetic resonance/electron nuclear double resonance experiments.

First-principles theory of the EPR g tensor in solids: defects in quartz

A theory for the reliable prediction of the EPR g tensor for paramagnetic defects in solids is presented. It is based on density functional theory and on the gauge including projector augmented wave approach to the calculation of all-electron magnetic response. The method is validated by comparison with existing quantum chemical and experimental data for a selection of diatomic radicals. We then perform the first prediction of EPR g tensors in the solid state and find the results to be in excellent agreement with experiment for the E(1)(prime) and substitutional phosphorus defect centers in quartz.

Ab initio simulations of photoinduced interconversions of oxygen deficient centers in amorphous silica

We have studied by ab initio molecular dynamics the interconversion between oxygen deficient centers (Si-Si bond, dicoordinated silicon =Si:, and E' centers) induced by UV irradiation in a-SiO2. By dynamical simulations in the excited state of a periodic model of a-SiO2 we have identified the reaction path and activation barrier for the Si-Si-->=Si: interconversion. A new competitive transformation of the excited, neutral Si-Si bond into two E' centers has been identified. Our results provide strong theoretical support to the viability of these processes, proposed experimentally on the basis of optical data only.

Dangling bond defects at Si-SiO2 interfaces: atomic structure of the P(b1) center

Using a first-principles approach, we characterize dangling bond defects at Si-SiO2 interfaces by calculating hyperfine parameters for several relaxed structures. Interface models, in which defect Si atoms remain close to crystalline sites of the substrate upon relaxation, successfully describe P(b) and P(b0) defects at (111) and (100) interfaces, respectively. On the basis of calculated hyperfine parameters, we discard models of the P(b1) defect containing a first neighbor shell with an O atom or a strained bond. A novel model consisting of an asymmetrically oxidized dimer yields hyperfine parameters in excellent agreement with experiment and is proposed as the structure of the P(b1) center.