Publication details
Why is polonium simple cubic and so highly anisotropic?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2007 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Physical Review Letters |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Solid matter physics and magnetism |
| Keywords | electronic structure; ab initio calculations; elastic anisotropy; relativistic effects |
| Description | Using the state-of-the-art ab initio electronic structure calculations, we explain why $\alpha$-Po prefers the simple cubic (s.c.) structure (it is due to the relativistic mass-velocity and Darwin terms), elucidate its extreme elastic anisotropy (this is an intrinsic property of the s.c. crystal structure) and predict a transformation to a mixture of two trigonal structures at pressures of 1-3 GPa. |
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