MgO phase diagram from first principles in a wide pressure-temperature range

Abstract

Recent laser-initiated strong shockwave measurements at Livermore provide the opportunity for verification of the MgO phase diagram at extreme pressures and temperatures. This calls for a comprehensive study of the MgO phase diagram. The phase diagram is obtained by ab initio molecular dynamics (two phase and $Z$ method) and phonon-based thermodynamic calculations. Energies and forces are computed from first principles projector augmented wave method. The B1 transforms to B2 phase at about 490 GPa. Melting temperatures of B1 are consistent with the two-phase melting curve (Alfe, 2005). The triple point B1-B2-liquid is located at about 2.4 Mbar and 9000 K. The melting curve of the B2 phase rises rather steeply from the triple point. The Hugoniot is likely to cross the B1-B2 boundary first and then to cross the melting curve of B2, therefore, the melting curve of periclase is not relevant for the Hugoniot. MgO melts between 11.3 and 12.5 thousand K and 4.3 and 5 Mbar along the Hugoniot from the B2 phase. The two-phase melting curves of B1 computed with various semiempirical potentials are remarkably close to each other and are consistent with the B1 first principles melting curve at low pressure. This suggests the MgO melting temperatures to be in the close proximity of this determination. The search for new phases of MgO by first principles metadynamics has not produced unknown phases. Therefore, the suggested discontinuity of the Hugoniot at 170 GPa and 3000 K remains enigmatic.