Theoretical investigations of spectroscopic and magnetic properties of metallic systems in the bulk, as well as in nanostructured materials, have been performed within the density functional theory. The major part of the present work studies the differences between binding energies of electrons tightly bound to the atoms, the so-called core electrons (in contrast with the valence electrons), that is, core-level binding energy shift (CLS). By comparison between corresponding elemental core-levels for atoms situated in different chemical environments we obtain fundamental understanding of bonding properties of materials. The method of choice was the complete screening picture, which includes initial and final state effects on the same footing. The usefulness of CLS stems from that it is sensitive to differences in the chemical environment of an atom, which can be affected on one hand by the global composition of e.g. disordered materials, surfaces and interfaces, and on the other hand by the very local environment around an atom. Here CLSs have been obtained for both components in the fcc random alloys AgPd, CuPd, CuNi, CuPt, CuAu, PdAu, NiPd and NiPt. Moreover the model was extended to the Auger kinetic energy shift for the LMM Auger transition in AgPd alloys. Studies were also applied to the near surface and interface regions of PdMn nano structures on Pd(100), thin CuPd and AgPd films on inert Ru(0001), and at interfaces. The disorder broadening on CLS due to local environment effects was calculated in selected alloys. A part of the thesis concern investigations related to the magnetic ordering in Invar alloys, including the influence of local environment effects. A study was made for the dependence of effective exchange parameter on the electron concentration, volume and local chemical composition.

Methods for performing large-scale parallel Molecular Dynamics(MD) simulations are investigated. A perspective on the field of parallel MD simulations is given. Hardware and software aspects are characterized and the interplay between the two is briefly discussed. A method for performing ab initio MD is described; the method essentially recomputes the interaction potential at each time-step. It has been tested on a system of liquid water by comparing results with other simulation methods and experimental results. Different strategies for parallelization are explored. Furthermore, data-parallel methods for short-range and long-range interactions on massively parallel platforms are described and compared. Next, a method for treating electrostatic interactions in MD simulations is developed. It combines the traditional Ewald summation technique with the nonuniform Fast Fourier transform---ENUF for short. The method scales as N log N, where N is the number of charges in the system. ENUF has a behavior very similar to Ewald summation and can be easily and efficiently implemented in existing simulation programs. Finally, an outlook is given and some directions for further developments are suggested.

This thesis consists of four papers, three papers about modelling animal populations and one paper about an area integral estimate for solutions of partial differential equations on non-smooth domains. The papers are: I. Å. Brännström, Single species population models from first principles. II. Å. Brännström and D. J. T. Sumpter, Stochastic analogues of deterministic single species population models. III. Å. Brännström and D. J. T. Sumpter, Coupled map lattice approximations for spatially explicit individual-based models of ecology. IV. Å. Brännström, An area integral estimate for higher order parabolic equations. In the first paper we derive deterministic discrete single species population models with first order feedback, such as the Hassell and Beverton-Holt model, from first principles. The derivations build on the site based method of Sumpter & Broomhead (2001) and Johansson & Sumpter (2003). A three parameter generalisation of the Beverton-Holtmodel is also derived, and one of the parameters is shown to correspond directly to the underlying distribution of individuals. The second paper is about constructing stochastic population models that incorporate a given deterministic skeleton. Using the Ricker model as an example, we construct several stochastic analogues and fit them to data using the method of maximum likelihood. The results show that an accurate stochastic population model is most important when the dynamics are periodic or chaotic, and that the two most common ways of constructing stochastic analogues, using additive normally distributed noise or multiplicative lognormally distributed noise, give models that fit the data well. The latter is also motivated on theoretical grounds. In the third paper we approximate a spatially explicit individual-based model with a stochastic coupledmap lattice. The approximation effectively disentangles the deterministic and stochastic components of the model. Based on this approximation we argue that the stable population dynamics seen for short dispersal ranges is a consequence of increased stochasticity from local interactions and dispersal. Finally, the fourth paper contains a proof that for solutions of higher order real homogeneous constant coefficient parabolic operators on Lipschitz cylinders, the area integral dominates the maximal function in the L2-norm.

In this thesis, quantum-mechanical calculations within density-functional theory on metallic systems are presented. The overarching goal has been to investigate effects of disorder. In particular, one of the properties investigated is the bindingenergy shifts for core electrons in binary alloys using different theoretical methods. These methods are compared with each other and with experimental results. One such method, the so-called Slater-Janak transition state method relies on the assumption that the single-particle eigenvalues within density-functional theory are linear functions of their respective occupation number. This assumption is investigated and it is found that while the eigenvalues to a first approximation show linear behavior, there are also nonlinearities which can influence the core-level binding energy shifts. Another area of investigation has been iron based alloys at pressures corresponding to those in the Earth’s inner core. This has been done for the hexagonal close packed and face entered cubic structures. The effects of alloying iron with magnesium and nickel on the equation of state as well on the elastic properties have been investigated. The calculations have shown that the hexagonal close packed structure in FeNi is more isotropic than the face-centered cubic structure, and that adding Mg to Fe has a large impact on the elastic properties. Finally, the effects of disorder due to thermal motion of the atoms have been investigated through ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations. Within the limits of this method and the setup, it is found that the face-centered cubic structure of molybdenum can be dynamically stabilized at high temperature, leading to a metastable structure, on the average. The dynamical stabilization of face-centered cubic molybdenum also rendered it possible to accurately calculate the lattice stability relative to the body-centered cubic phase. Inclusion of temperature effects for the lattice stability using ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations resolves the disagreement between ab-initio calculations and thermochemical methods.

The structures of AgSin (n = 1 ¡V 16) clusters are investigated using first-principles calculations. Our studies suggest that AgSin clusters with n = 7, 10, and 15 are relatively stable isomers and that these clusters prefer to be exohedral rather than endohedral. Moreover, doping leaves the inner core structure of the clusters largely intact. Additionally, the plot of fragmentation energies as a function of silicon atoms shows that the AgSin are favored to dissociate into one Ag atom and Sin clusters. Alternative pathways exist for n > 7 (except n = 11 and 16) in which the AgSin cluster dissociates into a stable Si7 and a smaller fragment AgSin􀀀7. The AgSi11 and AgSi16 cluster dissociates into a stable Si10 and a small fragment AgSi. Lastly, our analysis indicates that doping of Ag atom significantly decreases the gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital for n > 7.

The structures of AuSin (n = 1 - 16) clusters are investigated systematically using first-principles calculations. The lowest energy isomers exhibit preference toward exohedral rather than endohedral structure. Our studies suggest that AuSin clusters with n = 5 and 10 are relatively stable isomers. We found no significant alteration in the cluster¡¦s inner core structure for sizes n= 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15 even in the presence of doping. Moreover, analysis of fragmentation energies is presented in detail. Our studies further indicate that doping of Au atom significantly decreases the gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital for n > 7. Additionally, we report on similar results obtained for CuSin (n = 1 - 16) and AgSin (n = 14, 15, and 16) and compared them with those on AuSin clusters. Next, the low energy isomers for certain sizes of CuSin (n = 10 -16 ) clusters are selected for further optimizations using Gaussian 03 package. We found that for CuSin (n = 12 - 16 ), the endohedral isomers have lower energies than their exohedral counterparts, consistent with a recent study by Janssens et al. [15] in which a similar trend was observed.

The catalytic oxidation activity of platinum particles in automobile catalysts is thought to originate from the presence of highly reactive superficial oxide phases which form under oxygen-rich reaction conditions. The thermodynamic stability of platinum oxide surfaces and thin films was studied, as well as their reactivities towards oxidation of carbon compounds by means of first-principles atomistic thermodynamics calculations and molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory. On the Pt(111) surface the most stable superficial oxide phase is found to be a thin layer of alpha-PtO2, which appears not to be reactive towards either methane dissociation or carbon monoxide oxidation. A PtO-like structure is most stable on the Pt(100) surface at oxygen coverages of one monolayer, while the formation of a coherent and stress-free Pt3O4 film is favoured at higher coverages. Bulk Pt3O4 is found to be thermodynamically stable in a region around 900 K at atmospheric pressure. The computed net driving force for the dissociation of methane on the Pt3O4(100) surface is much larger than on all other metallic and oxide surfaces investigated. Moreover, the enthalpy barrier for the adsorption of CO molecules on oxygen atoms of this surface is as low as 0.34 eV, and desorption of CO2 is observed to occur without any appreciable energy barrier in molecular dynamics simulations. These results, combined, indicate a high catalytic oxidation activity of Pt3O4 phases that can be relevant in the contexts of Pt-based automobile catalysts and gas sensors.

Defects in the functional oxides play an important role in electronic devices like metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and resistive random-access memories (ReRAMs). The continuous scaling of CMOS has brought the Si MOSFET to its physical technology limit and the replacement of Si channel with Ge channel is required. However, the performance of Ge MOSFETs suffers from Ge/oxide interface quality and reliability problems, which originates from the charge traps and defect states in the oxide or at the Ge/oxide interface. The sub-oxide layers composed of GeII states at the Ge/GeO2 interface seems unavoidable with normal passivation methods like hydrogen treatment, which has poor electrical properties and is related to the reliability problem. On the other hand, ReRAM works by formation and rupture of O vacancy conducting filaments, while how this process happens in atomic scale remains unclear. In this thesis, density functional theory is applied to investigate the defect behaviours in oxides to address existing issues in these electronic devices. In chapter 3, the amorphous atomic structure of doped GeO2 and Ge/GeO2 interface networks are investigated to explain the improved MOSFET reliability observed in experiments. The reliability improvement has been attributed to the passivation of valence alternation pair (VAP) type O deficiency defects by doped rare earth metals. In chapter 4, the oxidation mechanism of GeO2 is investigated by transition state simulation of the intrinsic defect diffusion in the network. It is proposed that GeO2 is oxidized from the Ge substrate through lattice O interstitial diffusion, which is different from SiO2 which is oxidized by O2 molecule diffusion. This new mechanism fully explains the strange isotope tracer experimental results in the literature. In chapter 5, the Fermi level pinning effect is explored for metal semiconductor electrical contacts in Ge MOSFETs. It is found that germanides show much weaker Fermi level pinning than normal metal on top of Ge, which is well explained by the interfacial dangling bond states. These results are important to tune Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) for n-type contacts on Ge for use on Ge high mobility substrates in future CMOS devices. In chapter 6, we investigate the surface and subsurface O vacancy defects in three kinds of stable TiO2 surfaces. The low formation energy under O poor conditions and the +2 charge state being the most stable O vacancy are beneficial to the formation and rupture of conducting filament in ReRAM, which makes TiO2 a good candidate for ReRAM materials. In chapter 7, we investigate hydrogen behaviour in amorphous ZnO. It is found that hydrogen exists as hydrogen pairs trapped at oxygen vacancies and forms Zn-H bonds. This is different from that in c-ZnO, where H acts as shallow donors. The O vacancy/2H complex defect has got defect states in the lower gap region, which is proposed to be the origin of the negative bias light induced stress instability.

The main objective of this work is to research and obtain surface protected topological states in nano-ribbons created from the leaves of Germanene and Silicene. These sheets belong to the class of Topological Insulators and correspond to monolayers of germanium and silicon atoms in a hexagonal arrangement that is similar to the graphene sheet. For this investigation, we conducted a study of the electronic and structural properties of these sheets, as well as their respective nano-ribbons through first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). In this methodology we use the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for estimating the exchange and correlation term, and the PAW method for the effective potential and the expansion of plane waves of the Kohn-Sham. We conducted a computer simulation with the aid of the package VASP (Vienna ab-initio Simulation Package). As a starting point for our research, we used the methodology of solid state physics in order to describe the crystalline structure of the leaves as well as their mutual space. Subsequently we analyze the band structure, from which many of its properties can be visualized. For this task, we initially proceeded to investigate the stability of these systems via total energy calculations, in turn obtaining the network parameters that minimizes the energy of the system. We also obtained the energy cutoff, ECUT used in our calculations, or in other words, determining the number of plane waves needed to expand the electronic wave functions on the DFT formalism. We continued our study, with the creation and analysis of two different configurations of nano-ribbons, one that corresponds to a straightforward cut of the sheet with the armchair termination pattern, and the other based on a reconstruction of those edges, which provide an energetically more stable system. Subsequently we obtained electronic structures, and conducted a study of its variation due to the change of the width of the nano-ribbon and ionic relaxation of its edges. In a way, we modified the above parameters in order to obtain a system that would give us a zero gap, or at least insignificant, as well as a specific configuration for the spin texture, in order to verify the evidence of surface protected topological states in these nano-ribbons. / O objetivo principal deste trabalho é a investigação e obtenção dos estados topologicamente protegidos de superfície em nano-fitas criadas a partir das folhas de Germaneno e Siliceno. Estas folhas pertencem a classe dos Isolantes Topológicos e correspondem a monocamadas de átomos de Germânio e Silício, em um arranjo hexagonal que se assemelha a folha do Grafeno. Para esta investigação, realizamos um estudo das propriedades eletrônicas e estruturais destas folhas, bem como de suas respectivas nano-fitas, através de cálculos de primeiros princípios fundamentados na teoria do funcional da densidade (DFT). Nesta metodologia utilizamos a aproximação do gradiente generalizado (GGA) para a estimativa do termo de troca e correlação, e o método PAW para o potencial efetivo e a expansão em ondas planas dos orbitais de Kohn-Sham. Realizamos a simulação computacional com o auxílio do pacote VASP (Vienna ab-initio Simulation Package). Como ponto de partida para nossa pesquisa, utilizamos a metodologia da física do estado sólido com o intuito de descrever a estrutura cristalina das folhas, bem como seu espaço recíproco. Posteriormente analisamos as estruturas de bandas, a partir das quais muitas de suas propriedades podem ser visualizadas. Para esta tarefa, inicialmente procedemos à investigação da estabilidade destes sistemas via cálculos de energia total, obtendo o parâmetro de rede a que minimiza a energia do sistema. Obtivemos também a energia de corte ECUT utilizada em nossos cálculos, ou em outras palavras, a determinação do número de ondas planas necessárias para expandir as funções de onda eletrônicas no formalismo da DFT. Prosseguimos nosso estudo, com a criação e análise de duas distintas configurações de nano-fitas, uma que corresponde a um corte simples e direto da folha com terminação no padrão armchair, e a outra baseada em uma reconstrução destas bordas, que acaba por fornecer um sistema mais estável energeticamente. Posteriormente obtivemos as estruturas eletrônicas, e realizamos um estudo de sua variação em função da alteração da largura da nano-fita e a relaxação iônica de suas bordas. De certa maneira, modificamos os parâmetros acima, de forma a obter um sistema que nos fornecesse um gap nulo, ou pelo menos desprezível, bem como uma determinada configuração para a textura de spin, de modo a verificarmos a evidência de uma proteção topológica nos estados de superfície nestas nano-fitas. / Mestre em Física

Nous avons étudié des magmas ferrifères silicatés magnésiens à la pression du manteau terrestre en utilisant la dynamique moléculaire (First Principles Molecular Dynamics). Les résultats de l’équation d’état que nous avons obtenus à partir de nos simulations ont été utilisés pour créer un modèle chimique et minéralogique pour les zones de très basse vitesse sismique (ULVZ, anomalies régionales dans le manteau proche de la limite noyau-manteau). De plus, nous avons étudié le comportement du Ni, du Co et du Fe dans ces magmas et établi la dépendance du spin en fonction de la concentration, de la pression, de la température et du degré de polymérisation du magma silicaté. Nous avons montré qu’une baisse du spin moyen peut être corrélée au changement de pente (kink) observé précédemment pour les coefficients de partage du Ni et du Co. Nous avons analysé la structure du magma pour toutes les compositions étudiées en fonction de la pression. Nos résultats donnent un nouvel aperçu de la coordination des éléments majeurs et traces dans les magmas silicatés de différents degrés de polymérisation. Nous interprétons l’anomalie de coordination Ni-O en fonction de la pression comme un changement d’état de spin. L’effet de la polymérisation du magma silicaté sur les coefficients de partage du Co, du Ni et du W entre le métal et le magma silicaté a été étudié par expériences multi-enclumes en conditions isobares et isothermes. Nous avons réalisé des simulations FPMD de magmas à des degrés de polymérisation similaires aux expériences afin d’expliquer le caractère de plus en plus lithophile du W lorsque le degré de polymérisation du magma silicaté diminue. Nous proposons une explication structurale pour expliquer l’affinité décroissante apparente du W dans les magmas silicatés dépolymérisés. / We explore Fe-bearing Mg-silicate melts through the pressure regime of the Earth’s mantle using First Principles Molecular Dynamics (FPMD). The equation of state results we obtained from our simulations are used to create a chemical and mineralogical model for Ultra-Low Velocity Zones (anomalous region on the mantle side of the core-mantle boundary). Furthermore we study the behaviour of Ni, Co, and Fe in these melts, and asses their spin-crossover dependencies on their concentration, pressure, temperature, and the degree of polymerization of the silicate melts. We show that a decrease in the average spin can be correlated with the previously observed kink in the partitioning coefficient of Ni and Co. We investigate the melt structure of all the compositions studied as a function of pressure. Our results provide new insight into the coordination of major and trace elements in silicate melts with different degrees of polymerization. We interpret the anomalous Ni-O coordination trend with pressure as the result of the spin state change. The effect of silicate melt polymerization on the partitioning of Co, Ni, and W between a metal and silicate melt, is investigated at isobaric and isothermic conditions using multi-anvil experiments. We have performed FPMD simulations of melts with similar degrees of polymerization as the experiments in order to explain the increasing lithophile character of W with the decrease in polymerization of the silicate melt. We propose a structural explanation for tungsten’s apparent increased affinity for depolymerized silicate melts.