Monthly Archives: June 2018

Reports

Many-body response functions in the Questaal code

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Daresbury Laboratory, UK, 21-25 May 2018

Organizers: Mark van Schilfgaarde, Jerome Jackson, Martin Lueders, and Leon Petit

Splendid sunshine greeted the 29 participants of the second Daresbury Questaal school, which took place between 21 – 25 May 2018.  The focus for the school was the application of the all-electron, full-potential linearized-muffin-tin (LMTO) code Questaal (www.questaal.org) to the calculation of response functions with many body perturbation theory and dynamical mean field theory.  The highlight of the school was providing a clear description of these methods alongside practical training in performing such advanced calculations for real material problems and experiments.  The school was sponsored by the CECAM Daresbury node, the UK’s CCP9 collaboration and the Psi-k network.

The aim of the school was to enable the participants to derive optical and magnetic responses of materials by training them in the relevant theories an instructing them in the operation of the different codes in the Questaal package.  The need for advanced theories for calculating response functions was made clear in a talk by Toby Perring (ISIS Neutron and Muon Source) who gave a detailed introduction into the capabilities and relative merits of modern neutron and x-ray scattering techniques. Continue reading Many-body response functions in the Questaal code →

Announcements

2019-20 CECAM-Psi-k Research Conference

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2019-20 CECAM-Psi-k
Research Conference

CECAM and Psi-k launch every year a call to organize a high-profile common research conference on an outstanding subject in the broad area of computational materials science; topics can range from applications in solid-state materials, soft matter, or biomolecules, to theoretical, methodological, and algorithmic advances.

We particularly encourage proposals that promote interdisciplinary exchange and focus on exceptional scientific challenges that go beyond current boundaries and foster the discussion of new developments.

The conference should typically last between 3.5 and 5 days, and target a max of 100 participants, with a structure and format dedicated to foster plentiful discussions and informal interactions among the participants, proactively engaged by conference organizers and discussion leaders.

Proposals must be submitted online at http://www.cecam.org/submitting_psik.html. All conference proposals will be peer reviewed, discussed, and ranked by a scientific panel composed by 3 members proposed by CECAM, and by 3 trustees of Psi-k.

In the proposal, emphasis should be placed on outlining the challenging scientific issues, which will be the focus of the event, and in establishing the proposed list of speakers and participants. Active participation of scientists at different stages of their career, and especially early states, is very encouraged, as is diversity in the speakers and leaders. The proposal should include information on the venue, which can take place anywhere in Europe, and a tentative budget. CECAM and Psi-k are committed to support the event with up to 30000 euro. Conference fees may be charged only to cover costs.

The call will be open until September 30th 2018 and the final outcome will be communicated during the autumn. The conference must take place between April 2019 and March 2020.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Ignacio Pagonabarraga
CECAM Director
[email protected] 		Nicola Marzari
Psi-k Chairman
[email protected]
Announcements

2019-20 Psi-k Event Application

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Herewith we solicit for proposals for activities in the field of electronic-structure theory and calculations to be held between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, to be funded (in full/partially) by the Psi-k Network and Charity.

Psi-k has introduced a two-step application process, to improve planning and avoid duplication of efforts.

First, a pre-proposal should be submitted by Friday 31 August 2018 (midnight CEST), describing the planned event. The working groups (https://psi-k.net/groups/) will either approve this pre-proposal for full submission, reject it, or suggest a merger between different activities – you are very welcome to contact the working group leaders or members beforehand.

Feedback will be provided by Friday 14 September 2018. Pre-proposals that have been approved, or mergers that have been successfully negotiated, will then have to submit a full proposal by Friday 12 October 2018. These proposals will be evaluated and approved with full or partial funding, or declined, at the Psi-k meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee (https://psi-k.net/scientific-advisory-committee/) and working group leaders, on Friday 23 November 2018.

Psi-k typically funds schools (1-2 weeks), workshops (2-3 days), international conferences (2-5 days), and code/method tutorials (3 days-1 week), with a focus on electronic- structure methods, developments, and applications. Its mission statement is available at https://psi-k.net/. Typical funding is of the order of 4,000/8,000/12,000 €, depending on size and duration (as a guideline, 30 €/expected participant/day); Psi-k funds around 25-35 activities for every call (see here https://psi-k.net/psi-k-workshops-2018-poster/ for the 2018-19 activities).

The evaluation of the pre-proposals and full proposals will be based on:

  1. the scientific quality of the proposal,
  2. its intellectual diversity and inclusiveness,
  3. the scientific merit of the organizers, and
  4. appropriateness of budget, while of course
  5. responding to the Psi-k mission statement.

This form (as one single PDF document) should be uploaded by the deadline of Friday 31 August 2018 (midnight CEST) at https://www.dropbox.com/request/bFhV6XpS4l85ToqCoDar.

Please name your file as follows:
Surname_Event_MonthYear.doc/pdf
(example: Jones_Fundamentals_of_QM_April2019.pdf).

Pre-proposal WORD document
Pre-proposal PDF document

Reporting: The organizers of successful proposals must deliver a report of the event, and preferably provide access to the presentation materials through the Psi-k website.

With best regards,

Nicola Marzari
Psi-k Chairman

Peter Dederichs
Psi-k Financial Officer