CMG COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Quantum Monte Carlo Calculations of Deep Earth Materials

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Quantum Monte Carlo is among the most precise simulation techniques to study realistic materials in physics and chemistry and provides a significant gain in precision compared with traditional density functional theory. One significant limitation of today?s QMC methods is the high computational demand. Since a substantial part of the QMC computation is spent in on forming and evaluating Slater determinants, the team plans to develop different localization transformations in order to obtain sparse determinants. The sparsity can be exploited in multilevel preconditioners, incomplete decomposition preconditioners, and iterative solvers to reach linear scaling with system size. The newly developed QMC methods will enable the team to obtain accurate equations of state, phase transitions, and elasticity of solid materials that are of high interest in geophysics. The spin state of iron in solid solutions magnesiowustite, perovskite and post-perovskite (Mg,Fe)SiO3 as well as the properties of water-carbon dioxide mixtures will be determined using QMC.Our understanding of the interior of the Earth comes from seismic observations and from the characterization of geological materials at high pressure. This characterization is not only obtained with high-pressure laboratory experiments but also with computer simulations because the properties of materials depend on the interactions between the atoms and those can be determined with computer simulations from the fundamental laws of physics. This project focuses on making those simulation methods much more accurate by developing new mathematical techniques to improve the quantum Monte Carlo method. These newly developed methods will enable the team to characterize different metal oxides, silicates, and mixtures of fluid water and carbon dioxide at high pressure.