CASTEP, based on the research of Professor Mike Payne of Cambridge University’s Cavendish Laboratory , is a software product which allows researchers to determine what the most stable structure of a new material would be, what its surfaces will look like and how the bulk and the surface will behave when exposed to different chemicals.
CASTEP is widely used in the oil and gas, chemical and semiconductor manufacturing industries, where along with other techniques, it can be used to enhance the efficiency of processes, and help identify the origin of failures in devices and products.
The code uses the principles of quantum mechanics to describe phenomena at the atomic level. Using quantum mechanics enables different properties of a material to be determined in a computer, allowing researchers to peer inside a figurative Schrödinger’s box.
Read the full story
Image: CASTEP molecular solid
Credit: Dr Matt Probert
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
__________________________________________
CASTEP achieves $30 million in sales
25 January 2013
A software tool which uses quantum mechanics to allow designers to predict the properties of materials has reached the commercial milestone of $30 million in sales.