Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2504.01684

An anisotropic functional for two-dimensional material systems

Abstract

Density function theory is the workhorse of modern electronic structure theory. However, its accuracy in practical calculations is limited by the choice of the exchange-correlation potential. In this respect, two-dimensional materials pose a special challenge, as all these materials and their heterostructures have a crucial similarity. The underlying atomic structures are strongly spatially inhomogeneous, implying that current exchange-correlation functionals, that in almost all cases are isotropic, are ill-prepared for an accurate description. We present an anisotropic screened-exchange potential, that remedies this problem and reproduces the band-gap of 2D materials as well as the piecewise linearity of the total energy with fractional occupation number.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Michael Lorke. 2026-09-22. An anisotropic functional for two-dimensional material systems. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01684

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Incommensurate structural and magnetic modulations in potassium-rich cryptomelane, K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$)

Cryptomelane is a hollandite-like material consisting of K$^+$ cations in an $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnel-like crystallographic motif. Cryptomelane with stoichiometry K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$) has been synthesized and its magnetic properties investigated using variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron powder diffraction. Three distinct transitions at $T_1=184$\,K, $T_2=54.5$\,K, and $T_3=24$\,K are observed. At $T_1$ there is a subtle tetragonal$\rightarrow$monoclinic transition associated with emergence of a set of non-magnetic superstructure peaks indexable to a $\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}\approx0.74\vec{c^*}$ incommensurate modulation parallel to the $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnels. Our findings are consistent with a relation previously reported in titanate hollandites, that $x\approx2|\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}|$. Magnetic Bragg peaks emerge below $T_2=54.5$\,K, and their positions indicate an incommensurate modulated magnetic structure. The model consistent with the data is a dual-$\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}$ structure with a ferromagnetic $|\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}|=0$ component and an incommensurate $\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}\approx0.37\vec{c^*}$, with the latter most likely to be helical. The period of oscillation of the incommensurate magnetic component is in line with predictions based on a Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian [Mandal \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. B 90, 104420 (2014)]. Below $T_3=24$\,K, there is a magnetic transition, which gives rise to a different set of magnetic Bragg peaks indicative of a highly complex magnetic structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Thermally-driven reorientation of the Néel vector in altermagnetic MnTe

Altermagnets are novel magnetic systems that possess a spin-polarized electronic band structure without a net magnetic moment, making them promising for device applications. Hexagonal MnTe, a prototypical altermagnet, arguably exhibits the most properties consistent with theoretical predictions, including an anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishing net magnetization, and altermagnetinduced electronic band splitting. However, fundamental questions remain, including why some effects only appear significantly below the magnetic ordering temperature. Here, we resolve this discrepancy by revealing a reorientation of the Néel vector in single-crystalline MnTe. The Néel vector points 30° from the a-axis at low $T$, before aligning directly with the a-axis around $T\simeq 260$ K. We attribute this to single-ion anisotropy, which depends on temperature-dependent lattice parameters. We obtained these results using muon-spin spectroscopy, magnetization measurements, and X-ray diffraction; we show that the findings are consistent with neutron diffraction. Manipulating this effect, for example through strain, could unlock sensitive electronic detection schemes for external stimuli, paving the way for functional altermagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Linear-scaling calculation of experimental observables for molecular augmented dynamics simulations

Aligning theoretical atomistic structural models of materials with available experimental data presents a significant challenge for disordered systems. The configurational space to navigate is vast, and faithful realizations require large system sizes with quantum-mechanical accuracy in order to capture the distribution of structural motifs present in experiment. Traditional equilibrium sampling approaches offer no guarantee of generating structures that coincide with experimental data for such systems. An efficient means to search for such structures is molecular augmented dynamics (MAD) [arXiv:2508.17132], a modified molecular dynamics method that can generate ab-initio accurate, low-energy structures through a multi-objective optimization of the interatomic potential energy and the experimental potential. The computational scaling of this method depends on both the scaling of the interatomic potential and that of the experimental potential. We present the general equations for MAD with linear-scaling formulations for calculating and matching X-ray/neutron diffraction and local observables, e.g., the core-electron binding energies used in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. MAD simulations can both find metastable structures compatible with non-equilibrium experimental synthesis and lower energy structures than alternative computational sampling protocols, like the melt-quench approach. In addition, generalizing the virial tensor with the experimental forces enables generalized barostatting, allowing one to find structures whose density matches that compatible with the experimental observables. Scaling tests with the TurboGAP code demonstrate their linear-scaling nature for both CPU and GPU implementations, the latter of which has a 100$\times$ speedup compared to the CPU.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci