Structure and Electronic Properties of Cerium Orthophosphate: Theory and Experiment

Structural and electronic properties of cerium orthophosphate (CePO{sub 4}) are calculated using density functional theory (DFT) with the local spin-density approximation (LSDA+U), with and without gradient corrections (GGA-(PBE)+U), and compared to X-ray diffraction and photoemission spectroscopy measurements. The density of states is found to change significantly as the Hubbard parameter U, which is applied to the Ce 4f states, is varied from 0 to 5 eV. The calculated structural properties are in good agreement with experiment and do not change significantly with U. Choosing U = 3 eV for LDSA provides the best agreement between the calculated density of states and the experimental photoemission spectra.