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By controling some parameters in the INCAR file, you can greatly increase the efficiency of your calculations.
By controling some parameters in the INCAR file, you can greatly increase the efficiency of your calculations.
Back to [[Núria López and Group]] page


=Basic parameters=
=Basic parameters=
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====RMM-DIIS algorithm (IBRION=1)====
====RMM-DIIS algorithm (IBRION=1)====
Converges fast in systems that:
Are close to a energy minimum (or maximum), with low degrees of freedom. The algorithm builds up an approximation of the Hessian matrix, taking the last NFREE steeps. 
it requires very accurate forces, otherwise it will fail to converge. An efficient way to achieve this is to set NELMIN to a value between 4 and 8 (for simple bulk materials 4 is usually adequate, whereas 8 might be required for complex surfaces where the charge density converges very slowly). This forces a minimum of 4 to 8 electronic steps between each ionic step, and guarantees that the forces are well converged at each step.


The RMM-DIIS algorithm converges fast in systems that:
*Are close to an energy minimum (or maximum).
*Have low degrees of freedom.
Examples of those systems are:
*Molecules in vacuum with short backbones (e.g. tert-butanol is one of the largest).
*Bare metal slabs representing closed surfaces.


For more information: [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0009-2614(80)80396-4]. [http://cms.mpi.univie.ac.at/vasp/vasp/IBRION_1_I.html]
The algorithm builds up an approximation of the Hessian matrix, taking the last NFREE steeps. The forces should be calculated precisely, therefore you'd better set NELM=4 or even NELM=8. This forces a minimum of 4 to 8 electronic steps between each ionic step, and guarantees that the forces are well converged at each step. The NFREE number should be [[lower]] than the number of degrees of freedom, and it is set by VASP considering several constrains, unless it is specified by the user. For more information: [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0009-2614(80)80396-4] [http://cms.mpi.univie.ac.at/vasp/vasp/IBRION_1_I.html].


A test made with a gas-phase molecule in different conditions established that good POTIM values are between 0.15-0.40, with an optimum of ~0.25. The algorithm is stable even for weird, high-stressed structures up to POTIM=0.80.


====Conjugated Gradient algorithm (IBRION=2)====
====Conjugated Gradient algorithm (IBRION=2)====
Is the recommended algorithm of you don't know what to do (See Ionic Relaxation Methods in [http://www.vasp.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=57]).





Revision as of 15:41, 23 October 2012

By controling some parameters in the INCAR file, you can greatly increase the efficiency of your calculations.

Back to Núria López and Group page

Basic parameters

Ionic movement parameters

You can find more information about this topic in the VASP manual [1]

Ionic relaxation

RMM-DIIS algorithm (IBRION=1)

The RMM-DIIS algorithm converges fast in systems that:

  • Are close to an energy minimum (or maximum).
  • Have low degrees of freedom.

Examples of those systems are:

  • Molecules in vacuum with short backbones (e.g. tert-butanol is one of the largest).
  • Bare metal slabs representing closed surfaces.

The algorithm builds up an approximation of the Hessian matrix, taking the last NFREE steeps. The forces should be calculated precisely, therefore you'd better set NELM=4 or even NELM=8. This forces a minimum of 4 to 8 electronic steps between each ionic step, and guarantees that the forces are well converged at each step. The NFREE number should be lower than the number of degrees of freedom, and it is set by VASP considering several constrains, unless it is specified by the user. For more information: [2] [3].

A test made with a gas-phase molecule in different conditions established that good POTIM values are between 0.15-0.40, with an optimum of ~0.25. The algorithm is stable even for weird, high-stressed structures up to POTIM=0.80.

Conjugated Gradient algorithm (IBRION=2)

Is the recommended algorithm of you don't know what to do (See Ionic Relaxation Methods in [4]).


Damped MD and QUICKMIN (IBRION=3)

Transition state optimization (IBRION=44)

Others ionic updates

Molecular Dynamics (MD) (IBRION=0)

See Molecular Dynamics with VASP

Thermodynamics (IBRION=5,6)

Electronic relaxation parameters