Quantum and temperature effects on the crystal structure of superhydride LaH10 : A path integral molecular dynamics study

Abstract

By classical and path-integral molecular dynamics simulations, we study the pressure-temperature ($P$-$T$) phase diagram of LaH$_{10}$ to clarify the impact of temperature and atomic zero-point motions. We calculate the XRD pattern and analyze the space group of the crystal structures. For 125 GPa $\leq P\leq$ 150 GPa and $T=300$ K, we show that a highly symmetric $Fm\bar{3}m$ structure, for which superconductivity is particularly favored, is stabilized only by the temperature effect. On the other hand, for $T=200$ K, the interplay between the temperature and quantum effects is crucial to realize the $Fm\bar{3}m$ structure. For $P=$100 GPa and $T=$300 K, we find that the system is close to the critical point of the structural phase transition between the $Fm\bar{3}m$ structure and those with lower symmetries.