Wave effects, Fourier-transform mechanical

An alternative approach involves integrating out the elastic degrees of freedom located above the top layer in the simulation.76 The elimination of the degrees of freedom can be done within the context of Kubo theory, or more precisely the Zwanzig formalism, which leads to effective (potentially time-dependent) interactions between the atoms in the top layer.77-80 These effective interactions include those mediated by the degrees of freedom that have been integrated out. For periodic solids, a description in reciprocal space decouples different wave vectors q at least as far as the static properties are concerned. This description in turn implies that the computational effort also remains in the order of L2 InL, provided that use is made of the fast Fourier transform for the transformation between real and reciprocal space. The description is exact for purely harmonic solids, so that one can mimic the static contact mechanics between a purely elastic lattice and a substrate with one single layer only.81... 

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