A computational tool to design and generate crystal structures

The evolution of computers, more specifically regarding the increased storage and data processing capacity, allowed the construction of computational tools for the simulation of physical and chemical phenomena. Thus, practical experiments are being replaced, in some cases, by computational ones. In this context, we can highlight models used to simulate different phenomena on atomic scale. The construction of these simulators requires, by developers, the study and definition of accurate and reliable models. This complexity is often reflected in the construction of complex simulators, which simulate a limited group of structures. Such structures are sometimes expressed in a fixed manner using a limited set of geometric shapes. This work proposes a computational tool that aims to generate a set of crystal structures. The proposed tool consists of a) a programming language, which is used to describe the structures using for this purpose their characteristic functions and CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) operators, and b) a compiler/interpreter that examines the source code written in the proposed language, and generates the objects accordingly. This tool enables the generation of an unrestricted number of structures, which can be incorporated in simulators such as the Monte Carlo Spin Engine, developed by our group at UFJF