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By applying a genetic algorithm in a cascade approach of increasing accuracy, we calculate the composition and structure of MgMOx clusters at realistic temperatures and oxygen pressures. The stable and metastable systems are identified by ab initio atomistic thermodynamics. We find that small clusters (M <= 5) are in thermodynamic equilibrium when x > M. The non-stoichiometric clusters exhibit peculiar magnetic behavior, suggesting the possibility of tuning magnetic properties by changing environmental pressure and temperature conditions. Furthermore, we show that density-functional theory (DFT) with a hybrid exchange-correlation (xc) functional is needed for predicting accurate phase diagrams of metal-oxide clusters. Neither a (sophisticated) force field nor DFT with (semi)local xc functionals are sufficient for even a qualitative prediction., Comment: 5 pages, 3 Figures, Supporting Information

Water-metal interfaces are ubiquitous and play a key role in many chemical processes, from catalysis to corrosion. Whereas water adlayers on atomically flat transition metal surfaces have been investigated in depth, little is known about the chemistry of water on stepped surfaces, commonly occurring in realistic situations. Using first-principles simulations we study the adsorption of water on a stepped platinum surface. We find that water adsorbs preferentially at the step edge, forming linear clusters or chains, stabilized by the cooperative effect of chemical bonds with the substrate and hydrogen bonds. In contrast with flat Pt, at steps water molecules dissociate forming mixed hydroxyl/water structures, through an autocatalytic mechanism promoted by hydrogen bonding. Nuclear quantum effects contribute to stabilize partially dissociated cluster and chains. Together with the recently demonstrated attitude of water chains adsorbed on stepped Pt surfaces to transfer protons via thermally activated hopping, these findings candidate these systems as viable proton wires., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures

We propose a theoretical/computational protocol based on the use of the Ground State (GS) Path Integral (PI) Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) for the calculation of the kinetic and Coulomb energy density for a system of $N$ interacting electrons in an external potential. The idea is based on the derivation of the energy densities via the $N-1$-conditional probability density within the framework of the Levy-Lieb constrained search principle. The consequences for the development of energy functionals within the context of Density Functional Theory (DFT) are discussed. We propose also the possibility of going beyond the energy densities and extend this idea to a computational procedure where the $N-1$-conditional probability is an implicit functional of the electron density, independently from the external potential. In principle, such a procedure paves the way for an {\it on-the-fly} determination of the energy functional for any system.

We review recent developments in the modelling of the phase diagram and the kinetics of crystallization of carbon. In particular, we show that a particular class of bond-order potentials (the so-called LCBOP models) account well for many of the known structural and thermodynamic properties of carbon at high pressures and temperatures. We discuss the LCBOP models in some detail. In addition, we briefly review the ``history'' of experimental and theoretical studies of the phase behaviour of carbon. Using a well-tested version of the LCBOP model (viz. LCBOPI+) we address some of the more controversial hypotheses concerning the phase behaviour of carbon, in particular: the suggestion that liquid carbon can exist in two phases separated by a first-order phase transition and the conjecture that diamonds could have formed by homogeneous nucleation in Uranus and Neptune., Comment: 28 pages, 15 figures. To appear in Mol. Phys. in 2008

In a previous work [L.Delle Site, J.Phys.A 40, 2787 (2007)] the derivation of an analytic expression for the kinetic functional of a many-body electron system has been proposed. Though analytical, the formula is still non local (multidimensional) and thus not ideal for numerical applications. In this work, by treating the test case of a uniform gas of interacting spinless electrons, we propose a computational protocol which combines the previous analytic results with the Monte Carlo (MC) sampling of electronic configurations in space. This, we show, leads to an internally consistent scheme to design well founded local kinetic functionals., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

The structure of a water adlayer on Pt(111) surface is investigated by extensive first principle calculations. Only allowing for proton disorder the ground state energy can be found. This results from an interplay between water/metal chemical bonding and the hydrogen bonding of the water network. The resulting short O-Pt distance accounts for experimental evidences. The novelty of these results shed a new light on relevant aspects of water-metal interaction., Comment: 10 pages 4 figures (color)

We report density-functional based molecular dynamics simulations, that show that, with increasing pressure, liquid carbon undergoes a gradual transformation from a liquid with local three-fold coordination to a 'diamond-like' liquid. We demonstrate that this unusual structural change is well reproduced by an empirical bond order potential with isotropic long range interactions, supplemented by torsional terms. In contrast, state-of-the-art short-range bond-order potentials do not reproduce this diamond structure. This suggests that a correct description of long-range interactions is crucial for a unified description of the solid and liquid phases of carbon., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures