dislocation_periodic_array Input Terms

Calculation Metadata

Specifies metadata descriptors common to all calculation styles.

  • branch: A metadata group name that the calculation can be parsed by. Primarily meant for differentiating runs with different settings parameters.

LAMMPS and MPI Commands

Specifies the external commands for running LAMMPS and MPI.

  • lammps_command: The path to the executable for running LAMMPS on your system. Don’t include command line options.

  • mpi_command: The path to the MPI executable and any command line options to use for calling LAMMPS to run in parallel on your system. LAMMPS will run as a serial process if not given.

Interatomic Potential

Specifies the interatomic potential to use and the directory where any associated parameter files are located.

  • potential_file: The path to the potential_LAMMPS or potential_LAMMPS_KIM record that defines the interatomic potential to use for LAMMPS calculations.

  • potential_kim_id: If potential_file is a potential_LAMMPS_KIM record, this allows for the specification of which version of the KIM model to use by specifying a full kim model id. If not given, the newest known version of the kim model will be assumed.

  • potential_kim_potid: Some potential_LAMMPS_KIM records are associated with multiple potential entries. This allows for the clear specification of which potential (by potid) to associate with those kim models.This will affect the list of available symbols for the calculation.

  • potential_dir: The path to the directory containing any potential parameter files (eg. eam.alloy setfl files) that are needed for the potential. If not given, then any required files are expected to be in the working directory where the calculation is executed.

Initial System Configuration

Specifies the file and options to load for the initial atomic configuration.

  • load_file: The path to the initial configuration file to load.

  • load_style: The atomman.load() style indicating the format of the load_file.

  • load_options: A space-delimited list of key-value pairs for optional style-specific arguments used by atomman.load().

  • family: A metadata descriptor for relating the load_file back to the original crystal structure or prototype that the load_file was based on. If not given, will use the family field in load_file if load_style is ‘system_model’, or the file’s name otherwise.

  • symbols: A space-delimited list of the potential’s atom-model symbols to associate with the loaded system’s atom types. Required if load_file does not contain symbol/species information.

  • box_parameters: Specifies new box parameters to scale the loaded configuration by. Can be given either as a list of three or six numbers: ‘a b c’ for orthogonal boxes, or ‘a b c alpha beta gamma’ for triclinic boxes. The a, b, c parameters are in units of length and the alpha, beta, gamma angles are in degrees.

Elastic Constants

Specifies the computed elastic constants for the interatomic potential and crystal structure, relative to the loaded system’s orientation. If the values are specified with the Voigt Cij terms and the system is in a standard setting for a crystal type, then only the unique Cij values for that crystal type are necessary. If isotropic values are used, only two idependent parameters are necessary.

  • elasticconstants_file: The path to a record containing the elastic constants to use. If neither this or the individual Cij components (below) are given and load_style is ‘system_model’, this will be set to load_file.

  • C11: The C11 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C12: The C12 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C13: The C13 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C14: The C14 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C15: The C15 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C16: The C16 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C22: The C22 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C23: The C23 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C24: The C24 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C25: The C25 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C26: The C26 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C33: The C33 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C34: The C34 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C35: The C35 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C36: The C36 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C44: The C44 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C45: The C45 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C46: The C46 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C55: The C55 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C56: The C56 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C66: The C66 component of the 6x6 Cij Voigt Cij elastic stiffness tensor (units of pressure).

  • C_M: The isotropic P-wave modulus (units of pressure).

  • C_lambda: The isotropic Lame’s first parameter (units of pressure).

  • C_mu: The isotropic shear modulus (units of pressure).

  • C_E: The isotropic Young’s modulus (units of pressure).

  • C_nu: The isotropic Poisson’s ratio (unitless).

  • C_K: The isotropic bulk modulus (units of pressure).

LAMMPS Energy/Force Minimization

Specifies the parameters and options associated with performing an energy and/or force minimization in LAMMPS.

  • energytolerance: The energy tolerance to use for the minimization. This value is unitless and corresponds to the etol term for the LAMMPS minimize command. Default value is 0.0.

  • forcetolerance: The force tolerance to use for the minimization. This value is in force units and corresponds to the ftol term for the LAMMPS minimize command. Default value is ‘0.0 eV/angstrom’.

  • maxiterations: The maximum number of iterations to use for the minimization. This value corresponds to the maxiter term for the LAMMPS minimize command. Default value is 100000.

  • maxevaluations: The maximum number of iterations to use for the minimization. This value corresponds to the maxeval term for the LAMMPS minimize command. Default value is 1000000.

  • maxatommotion: The maximum distance that any atom can move during a minimization iteration. This value is in units length and corresponds to the dmax term for the LAMMPS min_modify command. Default value is ‘0.01 angstrom’.

Dislocation

Specifies the parameter set that defines a dislocation type and how to orient it relative to the atomic system.

  • dislocation_file: The path to a dislocation record file that collects the parameters for a specific dislocation type.

  • dislocation_slip_hkl: The Miller (hkl) slip plane for the dislocation given as three space-delimited integers.

  • dislocation_ξ_uvw: The Miller [uvw] line vector direction for the dislocation given as three space-delimited integers. The angle between burgers and ξ_uvw determines the dislocation’s character.

  • dislocation_burgers: The Miller Burgers vector for the dislocation given as three space-delimited floats.

  • dislocation_m: The Cartesian vector of the final system that the dislocation solution’s m vector (in-plane, perpendicular to ξ) should align with. Given as three space-delimited numbers. Limited to beingparallel to one of the three Cartesian axes.

  • dislocation_n: The Cartesian vector of the final system that the dislocation solution’s n vector (slip plane normal) should align with. Given as three space-delimited numbers. Limited to beingparallel to one of the three Cartesian axes.

  • dislocation_shift: A rigid body shift to apply to the atoms in the system after it has been rotated to the correct orientation. This controls where the dislocation is placed relative to the atomic positions as the dislocation line is always inserted at coordinates (0,0) for the two Cartesian axes aligned with m and n. Specified as three floating point numbers.

  • dislocation_shiftscale: boolean indicating if the dislocation_shift value is a Cartesian vector (False, default) or if it is scaled relative to the rotated cell’s box parameters prior to applying sizemults.

  • dislocation_shiftindex: An integer that if given will result in a shift being automatically determined and used such that the dislocation’s slip plane will be positioned halfway between two atomic planes. Changing the integer value changes which set of planes the slip plane is positioned between. Note that shiftindex values only shift atoms in the slip plane normal direction and therefore may not be the ideal positions for some dislocation cores.

  • sizemults: Multiplication parameters to construct a supercell from the rotated system. Limited to three values for dislocation generation. Values must be even for the two box vectors not aligned with the dislocation line. The system will be replicated equally in the positive and negative directions for those two box vectors.

  • amin: Specifies a minimum width in length units that the resulting system’s a box vector must have. The associated sizemult value will be increased if necessary to ensure this. Default value is 0.0.

  • bmin: Specifies a minimum width in length units that the resulting system’s b box vector must have. The associated sizemult value will be increased if necessary to ensure this. Default value is 0.0.

  • cmin: Specifies a minimum width in length units that the resulting system’s c box vector must have. The associated sizemult value will be increased if necessary to ensure this. Default value is 0.0.

Input/Output Units

Specifies the default units to use for the other input keys and to use for saving to the results file.

  • length_unit: The unit of length to use. Default value is ‘angstrom’.

  • pressure_unit: The unit of pressure to use. Default value is ‘GPa’.

  • energy_unit: The unit of energy to use. Default value is ‘eV’.

  • force_unit: The unit of force to use. Default value is ‘eV/angstrom’.

Run Parameters

  • annealtemperature: The temperature at which to anneal the dislocation system If 0, then no MD anneal will be performed.

  • annealsteps: The number of MD steps to perform at the anneal temperature before running the energy/force minimization. Default value is 0 if annealtemperature=0, and 10,000 if annealtemperature > 0.

  • randomseed: An int random number seed to use for generating initial velocities. A random int will be selected if not given.

  • dislocation_duplicatecutoff: The cutoff distance to use for determining duplicate atoms to delete associated with the extra half-plane formed by a dislocation’s edge component. Default value is 0.5 Angstroms.

  • dislocation_boundarywidth: The minimum thickness of the boundary region.

  • dislocation_boundaryscale: Boolean indicating if boundarywidth is taken as Cartesian (False) or scaled by the loaded unit cell’s a lattice parameter.

  • dislocation_onlylinear: Boolean, which if True will only use linear gradient displacements to form the dislocation and not the Volterra solution displacements. Setting this to be True is useful for screw dislocations that dissociate as it ensures that the resulting structure will dissociate along the correct slip plane.