Effect of pressure on the Raman-active modes of zircon (ZrSiO4): a first-principles study

  • Natalya Sheremetyeva
  • , Daniele J. Cherniak
  • , E. Bruce Watson
  • , Vincent Meunier

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Density-functional theory (DFT) was employed in a first-principles study of the effects of pressure on the Raman-active modes of zircon (ZrSiO4), using both the generalized gradient and local density approximations (GGA and LDA, respectively). Beginning with the equilibrium structure at zero pressure, we conducted a calibration of the effect of pressure in a manner procedurally similar to an experimental calibration. For pressures between 0 and 7 GPa, we find excellent qualitative agreement of frequency–pressure slopes ∂ω/ ∂P calculated from GGA DFT with results of previous experimental studies. In addition, we were able to rationalize the ω vs. P behavior based on details of the vibrational modes and their atomic displacements. Most of the ∂ω/ ∂P slopes are positive as expected, but the symmetry of the zircon lattice also results in two negative slopes for modes that involve slight shearing and rigid rotation of SiO4 tetrahedra. Overall, LDA yields absolute values of the frequencies of the Raman-active modes in good agreement with experimental values, while GGA reproduces the shift in frequency with pressure especially well.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)173-184
Number of pages12
JournalPhysics and Chemistry of Minerals
Volume45
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science
  • Geochemistry and Petrology

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