First-principles high-pressure elastic and thermodynamic properties of tantalum

The all-electron full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital method, by means of quasi-harmonic Debye model, is applied to investigate the elastic constant and thermodynamic properties of body-centered-cubic tantalum (bcc Ta). The calculated elastic constants of bcc Ta at 0 K is consistent with the previous experimental and theoretical results. Our calculations give the correct trends for the pressure dependence of elastic constants. By using the convenient quasi-harmonic Debye model, we refined the thermal equations of state. The thermal expansivity and some other thermal properties agree well with the previous experimental and theoretical results. © 2011 World Scientific Publishing Company.