Accurate determination of crystal structures based on averaged local bond order parameters

Author(s)
Wolfgang Lechner, Christoph Dellago
Abstract

Local bond order parameters based on spherical harmonics, also known as Steinhardt order parameters, are often used to determine crystal structures in molecular simulations. Here we propose a modification of this method in which the complex bond order vectors are averaged over the first neighbor shell of a given particle and the particle itself. As demonstrated using soft particle systems, this averaging procedure considerably improves the accuracy with which different crystal structures can be distinguished.

Organisation(s)
Computational and Soft Matter Physics, Computational Materials Physics
Journal
Journal of Chemical Physics
Volume
129
No. of pages
5
ISSN
0021-9606
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2977970
Publication date
2008
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103018 Materials physics, 103029 Statistical physics
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/49825b87-6609-4b26-a6b8-43020cc2d128