Electronic structure of cubic BaTbO3 from first-principles pseudopotential calculations

Abstract

First-principles calculations of the electronic structure are performed for cubic BaTbO3 using the plane-wave pseudopotential method within the framework of density functional theory and using the generalized gradient approximation for the exchange-correlation potential. Our calculations show that cubic BaTbO3 is metallic, and that this metallic character is mainly governed by the Tb 4f electrons and the hybridization between the Tb 5d and O 2p states. From the analysis of the density of states, band structure, and charge density contour, we find that the chemical bonding between Tb and O is covalent while that between Ba and TbO3 is ionic. PACS Nos.: 71.15.Mb, 71.20.-b