Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:34:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:03:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / As formulações de eletrocatalisadores Pt:(Ce0,9Y0,1O2)+Pt/C Etek, Pt:(Ce0,9Ru0,1O2)+Pt/C Etek, Pt:Ce0,9Y0,1O2/C e Pt:Ce0,9Ru0,1O2+RuO2/C foram preparados pelo método da redução por álcool e caracterizados por difração de raios X (DRX) e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET). A tolerância ao CO foi estudada utilizando o stripping de CO e medidas de curvas de polarização em células unitárias alimentadas com misturas de H2/CO no ânodo e oxigênio no cátodo, na temperatura de 80ºC e pressão absoluta de 2 bar para ânodo e cátodo. Os testes em células a combustível tipo PEMFC mostraram que a oxidação do CO adsorvido a CO2 na superfície da platina ocorre em potenciais menos positivos quando comparado com o catalisador comercial, Pt/C Etek, mostrando tolerância ao CO adsorvido nos eletrocatalisadores de Pt:Ce0,9Y0,1O2/C e Pt:(Ce0,9Ru0,1O2+RuO2)/C. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Dans cette thèse nous présentons des progrès algorithmiques ainsi que plusieurs applications des méthodes de Monte Carlo quantique (QMC) pour simulations à partir des premiers principes. Les améliorations que nous proposons permettent d'étudier par QMC des systèmes de plus grosse taille voire périodiques, avec l'ambition de faire du QMC une alternative valable à la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT). Tous les résultats ont été obtenus par le logiciel TurboRVB. D'abord, nous présentons une implémentation du QMC basée sur la fonction d'onde Jastrow-Geminale qui combine une grande flexibilité avec un traitement précis des corrélations électroniques. On a appliqué une technique originale de plongement pour réduire la taille de la base atomique à la molécule d'eau ainsi qu'à un modèle simplifié du transfert de protons (TP) dans l'eau. Nos résultats ouvrent la voie à l'étude des phénomènes microscopiques tels que le TP directement par QMC. Ensuite, on a amélioré notre méthode afin de simuler les solides cristallins. Grâce à une nouvelle procédure pour choisir de manière appropriée les conditions aux limites, nous avons pu réduire les erreurs de taille finie qui affectent les simulations QMC des solides. Sur la base des techniques développées, nous étudions enfin le supraconducteur FeSe. Le QMC fournit le meilleur résultat concernant sa structure cristalline; via une étude systématique du paysage énergétique à différentes configurations magnétiques, nous montrons un lien fort entre la structure, le magnétisme et les mouvements de charge dans ce matériau, prélude à une compréhension quantitative de la supraconductivité à haute température des premiers principes. / In this thesis we present algorithmic progresses as well as applications of continuum quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods for electronic structure calculations by first principles. The improvements we propose allow to tackle much larger molecular as well as extended systems by QMC, with the ultimate goal of making QMC a valid alternative to density functional theory (DFT). All results have been obtained with the TurboRVB software, which we contributed to develop. At first, we present a QMC framework based on the Jastrow-Geminal wavefunction which combines great flexibility with a compact analytical form, while providing at the same time an accurate treatment of electron correlations. We apply an original atomic embedding scheme for reducing the basis set size to the water molecule and to a simple model of proton transfer (PT) in aqueous systems. Our results pave the way to the study of microscopic phenomena such as PT directly by QMC. Afterwards, we extend our QMC framework in order to simulate crystalline solids. We propose a novel procedure to find special values of the boundary conditions which allow to greatly reduce the finite-size errors affecting solid state QMC simulations. Using the techniques previously developed, we study the iron-based superconductor FeSe. We show that QMC provides the best crystal structure predictions on this compound; by means of a systematic study of the energy landscape at different magnetic orderings, we show a strong link between structural, magnetic and charge degrees of freedom in FeSe. Our results represent an important step towards a quantitative understanding of high-temperature superconductivity by first-principles.

We are interested in complex electronic structures of various atomic and ionics systems. We use an ab initioapproach, the multiconfigurational Dirac-Hartree-Fock (MCDHF), to compute atomic structures and properties.We contribute in three main ways to the already existent literature: by developing and implementing originalcomputer programs, by investigating possibilities of alternative computational methodologies and strategies, andfinally by performing accurate atomic structure calculations to support other research fields, i.e. nuclear physics,astrophysics or experimental physics, through the theoretical estimation of relevant atomic data.We raise questions about the choice of the optimal orbital basis by considering finite basis sets, MCDHF orbitalbases and natural-orbital bases. We demonstrate the promising potential of the latter in the context of hyperfinestructures and hope that others will find interest in pursuing our analysis. Ultimately, our work put forward someweaknesses of the traditional optimization strategy based on the layer-by-layer optimization strategy.We also perform large-scale calculations to determine accurate atomic properties such as energy levels, hyperfinestructures, isotope shifts, transition parameters, radiative lifetimes and Landé g factors. We show through thevariety of atomic properties and atomic systems studied, the difficulty of describing, in the relativistic framework,the correlation between the spatial position of electrons due to their Coulomb repulsion.This thesis is organized in two main parts. The first one is dedicated to the theoretical and computationalbackgrounds that are needed to understand the theoretical models and the interpretation of our results. Thesecond part presents and summarizes our articles and manuscripts. They are separated in four groups, A, B, C,and D, around the themes of the atomic orbital bases, the applications to nuclear physics, the applications toastrophysics, and investigations of negative ions. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur et technologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

No description available.

In this thesis, the implementation of the incremental scheme for open-shell systems with unrestricted Hartree-Fock reference wave functions is described. The implemented scheme is tested within robustness and performance with respect to the accuracy in the energy and the computation times. New approaches are discussed to implement a fully automated incremental scheme in combination with the domain-specific basis set approximation. The alpha Domain Partitioning and Template Equalization are presented to handle unrestricted wave functions for the local correlation treatment. Both orbital schemes are analyzed with a test set of structures and reactions. As a further goal, the DSBSenv orbital basis sets and auxiliary basis sets are optimized to be used as environmental basis in the domain-specific basis set approach. The performance with respect to the accuracy and computation times is analyzed with a test set of structures and reactions. In another project, a scheme for the optimization of auxiliary basis sets for uranium is presented. This scheme was used to optimize the MP2Fit auxiliary basis sets for uranium. These auxiliary basis enable density fitting in quantum chemical methods and the application of the incremental scheme for systems containing uranium. Another project was the systematical analysis of the binding energies of four water dodecamers. The incremental scheme in combination with the CCSD(T) and CCSD(T)(F12*) method were used to calculate benchmark energies for these large clusters.

Cette thèse traite de la structure électronique de supraconducteurs telle que déterminée par la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité. Une brève explication de cette théorie est faite dans l’introduction. Le modèle de Hubbard est présenté pour pallier à des problèmes de cette théorie face à certains matériaux, dont les cuprates. L’union de deux théories donne la DFT+U, une méthode permettant de bien représenter certains systèmes ayant des électrons fortement corrélés. Par la suite, un article traitant du couplage électron- phonon dans le supraconducteur NbC1−xNx est présenté. Les résultats illustrent bien le rôle de la surface de Fermi dans le mécanisme d’appariement électronique menant à la supraconductivité. Grâce à ces résultats, un modèle est développé qui permet d’expliquer comment la température de transition critique est influencée par le changement des fré- quences de vibration du cristal. Ensuite, des résultats de calcul d’oscillations quantiques obtenus par une analyse approfondie de surfaces de Fermi, permettant une comparaison directe avec des données expérimentales, sont présentés dans deux articles. Le premier traite d’un matériau dans la famille des pnictures de fer, le LaFe2P2. L’absence de su- praconductivité dans ce matériau s’explique par la différence entre sa surface de Fermi obtenue et celle du supraconducteur BaFe2As2. Le second article traite du matériau à fermions lourds, le YbCoIn5. Pour ce faire, une nouvelle méthode efficace de calcul des fréquences de Haas-van Alphen est développée. Finalement, un dernier article traitant du cuprate supraconducteur à haute température critique YBa2Cu3O6.5 est présenté. À l’aide de la DFT+U, le rôle de plusieurs ordres magnétiques sur la surface de Fermi est étudié. Ces résultats permettent de mieux comprendre les mesures d’oscillations quan- tiques mesurées dans ce matériau. / In this thesis, the electronic structure of different kinds of superconductors is explored with the density functional theory. A brief explanation of this theory is done in the in- troduction. The Hubbard model is also presented as it can be used to solve shortcomings of the theory in some materials such as cuprates. The blend of the two theories is the DFT+U which is used to describe materials with strongly correlated electrons. After- ward, a paper describing the electron-phonon coupling in the superconductor NbC1−xNx is presented. Results from this work show the role of the Fermi surface in the electron pairing mechanism leading to superconductivity. Based on these results, a model is de- veloped explaining how the critical temperature is influenced by the change in frequency of the vibration modes. Then, quantum oscillation results based on a detailed analysis of Fermi surfaces, allowing a direct comparison with experimental data, are presented within two papers. The first one is about a material in the iron pnictide family, the LaFe2P2. Our calculations show that the Fermi surface of this material is different from the superconducting doped BaFe2As2 which explains why this material shows no sign of superconductivity. The second paper is about the heavy fermion system YbCoIn5. To do this, a new efficient method to calculate de Haas-van Alphen frequencies is developed. Finally, a paper on superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.5 is presented. Using DFT+U, the role of various magnetic orders on the Fermi surface are studied. The results allow a better understanding of the measured quantum oscillations in this material.

The electronic structure of the zero-gap two-dimensional graphene has a charge neutrality point exactly at the Fermi level that limits the practical application of this material. There are several ways to modify the Fermi-level-region of graphene, e.g. adsorption of graphene on different substrates or different molecules on its surface. In all cases the so-called dispersion or van der Waals interactions can play a crucial role in the mechanism, which describes the modification of electronic structure of graphene. The adsorption of water on graphene is not very accurately reproduced in the standard density functional theory (DFT) calculations and highly-accurate quantum-chemical treatments are required. A possibility to apply wavefunction-based methods to extended systems is the use of local correlation schemes. The adsorption energies obtained in the present work by means of CCSD(T) are much higher in magnitude than the values calculated with standard DFT functional although they agree that physisorption is observed. The obtained results are compared with the values available in the literature for binding of water on the graphene-like substrates. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Cette thèse traite de la structure électronique de supraconducteurs telle que déterminée par la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité. Une brève explication de cette théorie est faite dans l’introduction. Le modèle de Hubbard est présenté pour pallier à des problèmes de cette théorie face à certains matériaux, dont les cuprates. L’union de deux théories donne la DFT+U, une méthode permettant de bien représenter certains systèmes ayant des électrons fortement corrélés. Par la suite, un article traitant du couplage électron- phonon dans le supraconducteur NbC1−xNx est présenté. Les résultats illustrent bien le rôle de la surface de Fermi dans le mécanisme d’appariement électronique menant à la supraconductivité. Grâce à ces résultats, un modèle est développé qui permet d’expliquer comment la température de transition critique est influencée par le changement des fré- quences de vibration du cristal. Ensuite, des résultats de calcul d’oscillations quantiques obtenus par une analyse approfondie de surfaces de Fermi, permettant une comparaison directe avec des données expérimentales, sont présentés dans deux articles. Le premier traite d’un matériau dans la famille des pnictures de fer, le LaFe2P2. L’absence de su- praconductivité dans ce matériau s’explique par la différence entre sa surface de Fermi obtenue et celle du supraconducteur BaFe2As2. Le second article traite du matériau à fermions lourds, le YbCoIn5. Pour ce faire, une nouvelle méthode efficace de calcul des fréquences de Haas-van Alphen est développée. Finalement, un dernier article traitant du cuprate supraconducteur à haute température critique YBa2Cu3O6.5 est présenté. À l’aide de la DFT+U, le rôle de plusieurs ordres magnétiques sur la surface de Fermi est étudié. Ces résultats permettent de mieux comprendre les mesures d’oscillations quan- tiques mesurées dans ce matériau. / In this thesis, the electronic structure of different kinds of superconductors is explored with the density functional theory. A brief explanation of this theory is done in the in- troduction. The Hubbard model is also presented as it can be used to solve shortcomings of the theory in some materials such as cuprates. The blend of the two theories is the DFT+U which is used to describe materials with strongly correlated electrons. After- ward, a paper describing the electron-phonon coupling in the superconductor NbC1−xNx is presented. Results from this work show the role of the Fermi surface in the electron pairing mechanism leading to superconductivity. Based on these results, a model is de- veloped explaining how the critical temperature is influenced by the change in frequency of the vibration modes. Then, quantum oscillation results based on a detailed analysis of Fermi surfaces, allowing a direct comparison with experimental data, are presented within two papers. The first one is about a material in the iron pnictide family, the LaFe2P2. Our calculations show that the Fermi surface of this material is different from the superconducting doped BaFe2As2 which explains why this material shows no sign of superconductivity. The second paper is about the heavy fermion system YbCoIn5. To do this, a new efficient method to calculate de Haas-van Alphen frequencies is developed. Finally, a paper on superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.5 is presented. Using DFT+U, the role of various magnetic orders on the Fermi surface are studied. The results allow a better understanding of the measured quantum oscillations in this material.

In this thesis, multiple ionisation processes of free atoms and molecules upon single photon absorption are studied by means of a versatile multi-electron-ion coincidence spectroscopy method based on a magnetic bottle, primarily in combination with synchrotron radiation. The latter offered the possibility to access not only valence but also core levels, revealing processes, which promote the target systems into different charge states. One study focuses on double and triple ionisation processes of acetaldehyde (ethanal) in the valence region as well as single and double Auger decay of initial 1s core vacancies. The latter are investigated site-selectively for the two chemically different carbon atoms of acetaldehyde, scrutinising theoretical predictions specifically made for that system. A related study concentrates on core-valence double ionisation spectra of acetaldehyde, which have been investigated in the light of a previously established empirical model, and which have been used as test cases for analysing this kind of spectra by means of quantum chemical electronic structure methods of increasing sophistication. A third study investigates site-specific fragmentation upon 1s photoionisation of acetaldehyde using a magnetic bottle augmented with an in-line ion time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Experimental evidence is presented that bond rupture occurs with highest probability in the vicinity of the initial charge localisation and possible mechanisms are discussed. A site-specificity parameter P∆ is introduced to show that differences in fragmentation behavior between initial ionisations at chemically different carbon atoms probably persist even for identical internal energy contents in the nascent dications. In another study where both electrons and ions from Auger decay of core-excited and core-ionised states of CO2 are detected in coincidence, it is confirmed that O2+ is formed specifically in Auger decay from the C1s → π* and O1s → π* resonances, suggesting a decisive role of the π* orbital in the molecular rearrangement. Also, the molecular rearrangement is found to occur by bending in the resonant states, and O2+ is produced by both single and double Auger decay. A new version of the multi-electron-ion coincidence method, where the ion time-of-flight spectrometer is mounted perpendicularly to the electron flight tube, which affects less the electron resolution and which allows for position sensitive detection of the ions, is employed in combination with tunable soft X-rays to reveal the branching ratios to final Xen+ states with 2 &lt; n &lt; 9 from pure 4d-1, 4p-1, 4s-1, 3d-1 and 3p-1 Xe+ hole states. The coincident electron spectra give information on the Auger cascade pathways. / <p>Byte av lokal vid disputation till Polhemssalen.</p>

Ce travail présente une étude théorique de l’ionisation simple par impact électronique appelé (e, 2e) et la photo-double ionisation (γ, 2e) de la molécule CO2. Dans ces expériences complètes les particules émergeant sont détectées en coïncidence. Ceci permet l’étude de la structure électronique de la cible et les mécanismes de l’ionisation. L’originalité de notre approche réside dans l’introduction d’un modèle à trois centres coulombiens (ThCC) satisfaisant les conditions asymptotiques correcte jusqu’à l’ordre de O ((kr) −2 dans la description des électrons émergeant dans le cadre de la première approximation de Born. L’état initial de la cible est décrit par des orbitales de Dyson construites sur une base de fonctions Gaussiennes. Des valeurs empiriques pour l’écrantage des trois noyaux de la cible due aux électrons inactives et pour les paramètres de Sommerfeld dans le potentiel d’interaction et les fonctions Coulombiennes, respectivement, sont introduits pour obtenir un meilleur accord avec les résultats expérimentaux. Pour le cas du photo-double ionisation le double continuum est décrit par un modèle à trois centres corrélé / This work presents a theoretical study of single electron impact ionization called (e, 2e) and the photo-double ionization (γ, 2e) of the CO2 molecule. In these complete experiments, the emerging particles are detected in coincidence. This allows the study of the electronic structure of the target and the mechanisms of the ionization. The novelty of our approach is the introduction of a three-center Coulomb model (ThCC) satisfying the correct asymptotic conditions until the order of O ((kr) −2 in the description of emerging electrons through the first Born approximation. The initial state of the target is described by Dyson orbitals constructed on the basis of Gaussian functions. Empirical values for the screening of the three cores of the target due to the inactive electrons and to Sommerfeld parameters in the interaction potential and Coulomb functions, respectively, are introduced to obtain a better agreement with the experimental results. In the case of photo-double ionization, the double continuum is described by a correlated three centers model