Path-dependent electronic stopping for self-irradiated silicon

Abstract The experimentally validated real-time time-dependent density-functional theory (rt-TDDFT) provides a robust framework for studying electronic stopping. Accurate predictions of this directionally sensitive phenomenon are essential for various active research areas and applications, especial...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rafael Nuñez-Palacio, Andrea E. Sand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:Communications Materials
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00834-y
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Summary:Abstract The experimentally validated real-time time-dependent density-functional theory (rt-TDDFT) provides a robust framework for studying electronic stopping. Accurate predictions of this directionally sensitive phenomenon are essential for various active research areas and applications, especially in semiconductors. Here we present a path-dependent model of electronic stopping in self-irradiated silicon in the keV-MeV regime. We find a linear relationship between electronic stopping and the mean electron density using rt-TDDFT calculations, performed with the Qball code, along six channels and three incommensurate trajectories. Using this, the model predicts electronic stopping as a function of the local ground-state electron density and the projectile velocity S e (v, ρ). Our model accurately describes the electronic energy losses along any trajectory, from channels to regions of higher electron density, including the random trajectories measured experimentally. In addition, we provide a comprehensive overview of rt-TDDFT calculations of electronic stopping in self-irradiated silicon, including a detailed description of the requirements of pseudopotentials in all kinematic regimes.
ISSN:2662-4443