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# Phonon calculations

Module for calculating vibrational normal modes for periodic systems using the so-called small displacement method (see e.g. [Alfe]). So far, space-group symmetries are not exploited to reduce the number of atomic displacements that must be calculated and subsequent symmetrization of the force constants.

For polar materials the dynamical matrix at the zone center acquires a non-analytical contribution that accounts for the LO-TO splitting. This contribution requires additional functionality to evaluate and is not included in the present implementation. Its implementation in conjunction with the small displacement method is described in [Wang].

## Example

Simple example showing how to calculate the phonon dispersion for bulk aluminum using a 7x7x7 supercell within effective medium theory:

    from ase.build import bulk
    from ase.calculators.emt import EMT
    from ase.phonons import Phonons

    # Setup crystal and EMT calculator
    atoms = bulk('Al', 'fcc', a=4.05)

    # Phonon calculator
    N = 7
    ph = Phonons(atoms, EMT(), supercell=(N, N, N), delta=0.05)
    ph.run()

    # Read forces and assemble the dynamical matrix
    ph.read(acoustic=True)
    ph.clean()

    path = atoms.cell.bandpath('GXULGK', npoints=100)
    bs = ph.get_band_structure(path)

    dos = ph.get_dos(kpts=(20, 20, 20)).sample_grid(npts=100, width=1e-3)

    # Plot the band structure and DOS:
    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
    fig = plt.figure(1, figsize=(7, 4))
    ax = fig.add_axes([.12, .07, .67, .85])

    emax = 0.035
    bs.plot(ax=ax, emin=0.0, emax=emax)

    dosax = fig.add_axes([.8, .07, .17, .85])
    dosax.fill_between(dos.weights[0], dos.energy, y2=0, color='grey',
                       edgecolor='k', lw=1)

    dosax.set_ylim(0, emax)
    dosax.set_yticks([])
    dosax.set_xticks([])
    dosax.set_xlabel("DOS", fontsize=18)

    fig.savefig('Al_phonon.png')

Mode inspection:

    from ase.io.trajectory import Trajectory
    from ase.io import write

    # Write modes for specific q-vector to trajectory files:
    L = path.special_points['L']
    ph.write_modes([l / 2 for l in L], branches=[2], repeat=(8, 8, 8), kT=3e-4,
                   center=True)

    # Generate gif animation:
    with Trajectory('phonon.mode.2.traj', 'r') as traj:
        write('Al_mode.gif', traj, interval=50,
              rotation='-36x,26.5y,-25z')

[Alfe] | D. Alfe, PHON: A program to calculate phonons using the small displacement method, Comput. Phys. Commun. 180, 2622 (2009)

[Wang] | Y. Wang et al., A mixed-space approach to first-principles calculations of phonon frequencies for polar materials, J. Phys.: Cond. Matter 22, 202201 (2010)

## List of all Methods

class `ase.phonons.``Phonons`(*args, **kwargs)

  Class for calculating phonon modes using the finite displacement method.

  The matrix of force constants is calculated from the finite difference approximation to the first-order derivative of the atomic forces as:

                   2             nbj   nbj
       nbj        d E           F-  - F+
      C     = ------------ ~  -------------  ,
       mai     dR   dR          2 * delta
                 mai  nbj

  where F+/F- denotes the force in direction j on atom nb when atom ma is displaced in direction +i/-i. The force constants are related by various symmetry relations. From the definition of the force constants it must be symmetric in the three indices mai:

       nbj    mai         bj        ai
      C    = C      ->   C  (R ) = C  (-R )  .
       mai    nbj         ai  n     bj   n

  As the force constants can only depend on the difference between the m and n indices, this symmetry is more conveniently expressed as shown on the right hand-side.

  The acoustic sum-rule:

                  _ _
       aj         \    bj
      C  (R ) = -  )  C  (R )
       ai  0      /__  ai  m
                 (m, b)
                   !=
                 (0, a)

  Ordering of the unit cells illustrated here for a 1-dimensional system (in case `refcell=None` in constructor!):

          m = 0        m = 1        m = -2        m = -1
      -----------------------------------------------------
      |            |            |            |            |
      |        * b |        *   |        *   |        *   |
      |            |            |            |            |
      |   * a      |   *        |   *        |   *        |
      |            |            |            |            |
      -----------------------------------------------------

  Example:

      >>> from ase.build import bulk
      >>> from ase.phonons import Phonons
      >>> from gpaw import GPAW, FermiDirac
      >>> atoms = bulk('Si', 'diamond', a=5.4)
      >>> calc = GPAW(kpts=(5, 5, 5),
                      h=0.2,
                      occupations=FermiDirac(0.))
      >>> ph = Phonons(atoms, calc, supercell=(5, 5, 5))
      >>> ph.run()
      >>> ph.read(method='frederiksen', acoustic=True)

  Initialize with base class args and kwargs.

  `acoustic`(C_N)

    Restore acoustic sumrule on force constants.

  `apply_cutoff`(D_N, r_c)

    Zero elements for interatomic distances larger than the cutoff.

    Parameters:

    D_N: ndarray
      Dynamical/force constant matrix.
    r_c: float
      Cutoff in Angstrom.
  `band_structure`(path_kc, modes=False, born=False, verbose=True)

    Calculate phonon dispersion along a path in the Brillouin zone.

    The dynamical matrix at arbitrary q-vectors is obtained by Fourier transforming the real-space force constants. In case of negative eigenvalues (squared frequency), the corresponding negative frequency is returned.

    Frequencies and modes are in units of eV and Ang/sqrt(amu), respectively.

    Parameters:

    path_kc: ndarray
      List of k-point coordinates (in units of the reciprocal lattice vectors) specifying the path in the Brillouin zone for which the dynamical matrix will be calculated.
    modes: bool
      Returns both frequencies and modes when True.
    born: bool
      Include non-analytic part given by the Born effective charges and the static part of the high-frequency dielectric tensor. This contribution to the force constant accounts for the splitting between the LO and TO branches for q -> 0.
    verbose: bool
      Print warnings when imaginary frequncies are detected.
  `check_eq_forces`()

    Check maximum size of forces in the equilibrium structure.

  `dos`(kpts=(10, 10, 10), npts=1000, delta=0.001, indices=None)

    Calculate phonon dos as a function of energy.

    Parameters:

    qpts: tuple
      Shape of Monkhorst-Pack grid for sampling the Brillouin zone.
    npts: int
      Number of energy points.
    delta: float
      Broadening of Lorentzian line-shape in eV.
    indices: list
      If indices is not None, the atomic-partial dos for the specified atoms will be calculated.
  `get_force_constant`()

    Return matrix of force constants.

  `read`(method='Frederiksen', symmetrize=3, acoustic=True, cutoff=None, born=False, **kwargs)

    Read forces from pickle files and calculate force constants.

    Extra keyword arguments will be passed to `read_born_charges`.

    Parameters:

    method: str
      Specify method for evaluating the atomic forces.
    symmetrize: int
      Symmetrize force constants (see doc string at top) when `symmetrize != 0` (default: 3). Since restoring the acoustic sum rule breaks the symmetry, the symmetrization must be repeated a few times until the changes a insignificant. The integer gives the number of iterations that will be carried out.
    acoustic: bool
      Restore the acoustic sum rule on the force constants.
    cutoff: None or float
      Zero elements in the dynamical matrix between atoms with an interatomic distance larger than the cutoff.
    born: bool
      Read in Born effective charge tensor and high-frequency static dielelctric tensor from file.
  `read_born_charges`(name=None, neutrality=True)

    Read Born charges and dieletric tensor from pickle file.

    The charge neutrality sum-rule:

        _ _
        \    a
         )  Z   = 0
        /__  ij
         a

    Parameters:

    neutrality: bool
      Restore charge neutrality condition on calculated Born effective charges.
  `symmetrize`(C_N)

    Symmetrize force constant matrix.

  `write_modes`(q_c, branches=0, kT=0.02585199101165164, born=False, repeat=(1, 1, 1), nimages=30, center=False)

    Write modes to trajectory file.

    Parameters:

    q_c: ndarray
      q-vector of the modes.
    branches: int or list
      Branch index of modes.
    kT: float
      Temperature in units of eV. Determines the amplitude of the atomic displacements in the modes.
    born: bool
      Include non-analytic contribution to the force constants at q -> 0.
    repeat: tuple
      Repeat atoms (l, m, n) times in the directions of the lattice vectors. Displacements of atoms in repeated cells carry a Bloch phase factor given by the q-vector and the cell lattice vector R_m.
    nimages: int
      Number of images in an oscillation.
    center: bool
      Center atoms in unit cell if True (default: False).

Documentation v: 3.19.0

Versions
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