Simulation of the Interaction between Discrete Breathers of Various Types in a Pt3Al Crystal Nanofiber

It is known that, in a molecular dynamics model of Pt3Al crystal, a discrete breather (DB) with soft type nonlinearity (DB1) can be excited, which is characterized by a high degree of localization on a light atom (Al), stationarity, as well as a frequency that lies in the gap of the phonon spectrum and decreases with increasing amplitude of the DB. In this paper, it is demonstrated that a DB with hard type nonlinearity (DB2) can be excited in a Pt3Al nanofiber; this DB is localized on several light atoms, can move along the crystal, and has a frequency that lies above the phonon spectrum and increases with the DB amplitude. It is noteworthy that the presence of free surfaces of a nanofiber does not prevent the existence of DB1 and DB2 in it. Collisions of two DBs counterpropagating with equal velocities, as well as a collision of DB2 with a standing DB1, are considered. Two colliding DBs with hard type nonlinearity are repelled almost elastically, losing only insignificant part of their energy during the interaction. DB2 is also reflected from a standing DB1; in this case, the energy of the breathers is partially scattered into the Al sublattice. The results obtained indicate that DBs can transfer energy along a crystal over large distances. During the collision of two or more DBs, the energy localized in space can be as high as a few electron-volts; this allows one to raise the question of the participation of DBs in structural transformations of the crystal.