Finite Elements in Ab Initio Electronic-Structure Calulations

Abstract

Over the course of the past two decades, the density functional theory (DFT) (see e.g., [1]) of Hohenberg, Kohn, and Sham has proven to be an accurate and reliable basis for the understanding and prediction of a wide range of materials properties from first principles (ab initio), with no experimental input or empirical parameters. However, the solution of the Kohn-Sham equations of DFT is a formidable task and this has limited the range of physical systems which can be investigated by such rigorous, quantum mechanical means. In order to extend the interpretive and predictive power of such quantum mechanical theories further into the domain of “real materials”, involving nonstoichiometric deviations, defects, grain boundaries, surfaces, interfaces, and the like; robust and efficient methods for the solution of the associated quantum mechanical equations are critical. The finite-element (FE) method (see e.g., [2]) is a general method for the solution of partial differential and integral equations which has found wide application in diverse fields ranging from particle physics to civil engineering. Here, we discuss its application to large-scale ab initio electronic-structure calculations.