Atomic Diffusion in α-iron across the Curie Point: An Efficient and Transferable Ab Initio-Based Modeling Approach

Phys Rev Lett. 2020 May 29;124(21):215901. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.215901.

Abstract

An accurate prediction of atomic diffusion in Fe alloys is challenging due to thermal magnetic excitations and magnetic transitions. We propose an efficient approach to address these properties via a Monte Carlo simulation, using ab initio-based effective interaction models. The temperature evolution of self- and Cu diffusion coefficients in α-iron are successfully predicted, particularly the diffusion acceleration around the Curie point, which requires a quantum treatment of spins. We point out a dominance of magnetic disorder over chemical effects on diffusion in the very dilute systems.