Localized $5d^2$ electrons in a cubic crystal field possess multipoles such as electric quadrupoles and magnetic octupoles. We studied the cubic double perovskite Ba$_2$CaOsO$_6$ containing the Os$^{6+}$ ($5d^2$) ions, which exhibits a phase transition to a `hidden order' below $T^* \sim$ 50 K, by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Os $L_{2,3}$ edge. The cubic ligand-field splitting between the $t_{2g}$ and $e_g$ levels of Os $5d$ was deduced by XAS to be $\sim$4 eV. The temperature dependence of the XMCD spectra was consistent with a $\sim$18 meV residual cubic splitting of the lowest $J_{\rm eff} =$ 2 multiplet state into the non-Kramers $E_g$ doublet ground state and the $T_{2g}$ triplet excited state. Ligand-field (LF) multiplet calculation under fictitious strong magnetic fields indicated that the exchange interaction between nearest-neighbor octupoles should be as strong as $\sim$1.5 meV if a ferro-octupole order is stabilized in the `hidden-ordered' state, consistent with the exchange interaction of $\sim$1 meV previously predicted theoretically using model and density functional theory calculations.

Formation of the Kondo state in general two-band Anderson model has been investigated within the numerical renormalization group (NRG) calculations. The Abrikosov-Suhl resonance is essentially asymmetric for the model with one electron per impurity (quarter filling case) in contrast with the one-band case. An external magnetic (pseudo-magnetic) field breaking spin (orbital) degeneracy leads to asymmetric splitting and essential broadening of the many-body resonance. Unlike the standard Anderson model, the ``spin up'' Kondo peak is pinned against the Fermi level, but not suppressed by magnetic field.

The most general way to describe localized atomic-like electronic states in strongly correlated compounds is to utilize Wannier functions. In the present paper we continue the development of widely-spread DFT+U method onto Wannier function basis set and propose the technique to calculate the Hubbard contribution to the forces. The technique was implemented as a part of plane-waves pseudopotential code Quantum-ESPRESSO and successfully tested on a charge transfer insulator NiO.

The most general way to describe localized atomic-like electronic states in strongly correlated compounds is to utilize Wannier functions. In the present paper we continue the development of widely-spread DFT+U method onto Wannier function basis set and propose the technique to calculate the Hubbard contribution to the forces. The technique was implemented as a part of plane-waves pseudopotential code Quantum-ESPRESSO and successfully tested on a charge transfer insulator NiO.

Localized $5d^2$ electrons in a cubic crystal field possess multipoles such as electric quadrupoles and magnetic octupoles. We studied the cubic double perovskite Ba$_2$CaOsO$_6$ containing the Os$^{6+}$ ($5d^2$) ions, which exhibits a phase transition to a `hidden order' below $T^* \sim$ 50 K, by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Os $L_{2,3}$ edge. The cubic ligand-field splitting between the $t_{2g}$ and $e_g$ levels of Os $5d$ was deduced by XAS to be $\sim$4 eV. The temperature dependence of the XMCD spectra was consistent with a $\sim$18 meV residual cubic splitting of the lowest $J_{\rm eff} =$ 2 multiplet state into the non-Kramers $E_g$ doublet ground state and the $T_{2g}$ triplet excited state. Ligand-field (LF) multiplet calculation under fictitious strong magnetic fields indicated that the exchange interaction between nearest-neighbor octupoles should be as strong as $\sim$1.5 meV if a ferro-octupole order is stabilized in the `hidden-ordered' state, consistent with the exchange interaction of $\sim$1 meV previously predicted theoretically using model and density functional theory calculations.

Transition-metal ions with $5d^2$ electronic configuration in a cubic crystal field are prone to have a vanishing dipolar magnetic moment but finite higher-order multipolar moments, and they are expected to exhibit exotic physical properties. Through an investigation using resonant inelastic X-ray spectroscopy (RIXS), Raman spectroscopy, and theoretical ligand-field (LF) multiplet and $ab initio$ calculations, we fully characterized the local electronic structure of Ba$_2$CaOsO$_6$, particularly, the crystal-field symmetry of the 5$d^2$ electrons in this anomalous material. The low-energy multiplet excitations from RIXS at the oxygen $K$ edge and Raman-active phonons both show no splitting. These findings are consistent with the ground state of Os ions dominated by magnetic octupoles. Obtained parameters pave the way for further realistic microscopic studies of this highly unusual class of materials, advancing our understanding of spin-orbit physics in systems with higher-order multipoles.

Raman spectroscopy together with density functional calculations were used to study lattice dynamics in a layered honeycomb cobaltite Na$_3$Co$_2$SbO$_6$, which can host a field-induced phase related with the Kitaev physics. We show that there develops an additional mode well above Neel temperature (at $\approx 200$K) at 525 cm$^{-1}$, which origin can be related to an electronic excitation to one of $j_{3/2}$ doublets. Moreover, our theoretical calculations demonstrate that the highest frequency intensive mode related to the oxygen vibrations is very sensitive to type of the magnetic order. Thus, we propose to use the softening of this mode as a hallmark of the transition to a fully polarized regime, which is stabilized in Kitaev materials in strong magnetic fields.

Quadruple perovskites ACu$_3$Fe$_2$Re$_2$O$_{12}$ attract considerable interest due to their high Curie temperatures (up to $710$K), which strongly depend on the A-site cation. In this work, we employ first-principles calculations to investigate their electronic structure and magnetic exchange interactions. A band mechanism of magnetism that explains the antiferromagnetic character of the exchange interactions and their strong dependence on the filling of the Re $t_{2g}$ states is proposed. These antiferromagnetic interactions stabilize ferrimagnetic ground state. The calculated Curie temperatures, obtained within the Onsager reaction field theory, are in a good agreement with experimental data.

A derivation of the t-J model of a highly-correlated solid is given starting from the general many-electron Hamiltonian with account of the non-orthogonality of atomic wave functions. Asymmetry of the Hubbard subbands (i.e. of ``electron'' and ``hole''cases) for a nearly half-filled bare band is demonstrated. The non-orthogonality corrections are shown to lead to occurrence of indirect antiferromagnetic exchange interaction even in the limit of the infinite on-site Coulomb repulsion. Consequences of this treatment for the magnetism formation in narrow energy bands are discussed. Peculiarities of the case of ``frustrated'' lattices, which contain triangles of nearest neighbors, are considered.

An approach to compute exchange parameters of the Heisenberg model in plane-wave-based methods is presented. This calculation scheme is based on the Green's function method and Wannier function projection technique. It was implemented in the framework of the pseudopotential method and tested on such materials as NiO, FeO, Li2MnO3, and KCuF3. The obtained exchange constants are in a good agreement with both the total energy calculations and experimental estimations for NiO and KCuF3. In the case of FeO our calculations explain the pressure dependence of the N\'eel temperature. Li2MnO3 turns out to be a Slater insulator with antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor exchange defined by the spin splitting. The proposed approach provides a unique way to analyze magnetic interactions, since it allows one to calculate orbital contributions to the total exchange coupling and study the mechanism of the exchange coupling.

The tetradymite compound BiSbTeSe$_2$, is one of the most bulk-insulating three-dimensional topological insulators, which makes it important in the topological insulator research. It is a member of the solid-solution system Bi$_{2-x}$Sb$_x$Te$_{3-y}$Se$_y$, for which the local crystal structure, such as the occupation probabilities of each atomic site, is not well understood. We have investigated the temperature and polarization dependent spontaneous Raman scattering in BiSbTeSe$_2$, revealing a much higher number of lattice vibrational modes than predicted by group theoretical considerations for the space group R$\bar{3}$m corresponding to an ideally random solid-solution situation. The density functional calculations of phonon frequencies show a very good agreement with experimental data for parent material Bi$_2$Te$_3$, where no disorder effects were found. In comparison to Bi$_2$Te$_3$ the stacking disorder in BiSbTeSe$_2$, causes a discrepancy between theory and experiment. Combined analysis of experimental Raman spectra and DFT calculated phonon spectra for different types of atomic orders showed coexistence of different sequences of layers in the material and that those with Se in the center and a local order of Se-Bi-Se-Sb-Te, are the most favored.

The kamiokite, Fe$_2$Mo$_3$O$_8$, is regarded as a promising material exhibiting giant magnetoelectric (ME) effect at the relatively high temperature $T$. Here, we explore this phenomenon on the basis of first-principles electronic structure calculations. For this purpose we construct a realistic model describing the behavior of magnetic Fe $3d$ electrons and further map it onto the isotropic spin model. Our analysis suggests two possible scenaria for Fe$_2$Mo$_3$O$_8$. The first one is based on the homogeneous charge distribution of the Fe$^{2+}$ ions amongst tetrahedral ($t$) and octahedral ($o$) sites, which tends to low the crystallographic P6$_3$mc symmetry through the formation of an orbitally ordered state. Nevertheless, the effect of the orbital ordering on interatomic exchange interactions does not seem to be strong, so that the magnetic properties can be described reasonably well by averaged interactions obeying the P6$_3$mc symmetry. The second scenario, which is supported by obtained parameters of on-site Coulomb repulsion and respects the P6$_3$mc symmetry, implies the charge disproportionation involving somewhat exotic $1+$ ionization state of the $t$-Fe sites (and $3+$ state of the $o$-Fe sites). Somewhat surprisingly, these scenarios are practically indistinguishable from the viewpoint of exchange interactions, which are practically identical in these two cases. However, the spin-dependent properties of the electric polarization are expected to be different due to the strong difference in the polarity of the Fe$^{2+}$-Fe$^{2+}$ and Fe$^{1+}$-Fe$^{3+}$ bonds. Our analysis uncovers the basic aspects of the ME effect in Fe$_2$Mo$_3$O$_8$. Nevertheless, the quantitative description should involve other ingredients, apparently related to the lattice and orbitals degrees of freedom.

We present the theory of nonlinear ac magnetic response for the highly nonlinear regime of the chiral soliton lattice. Increasing of the dc magnetic field perpendicularly to the chiral axis results in crossover inside the phase, when nearly isolated $2\pi$-kinks are partitioned by vast ferromagnetic domains. Assuming that each of the kink reacts independently from the other ones to the external ac field, we demonstrate that internal deformations of such a kink give rise to the nonlinear response.

Rattling phonon modes are known to be origin of various anomalous physical properties such as superconductivity, suppression of thermal conductivity, enhancement of specific heat etc. By means of DFT+$U$ calculations we directly show presence of the rattling mode in the quadruple perovskites CuCu$_3$V$_4$O$_{12}$ and CuCu$_3$Fe$_2$Re$_2$O$_{12}$ and argue that this can develop in others as well. It is demonstrated that Cu ions at $A$ sites vibrate in the center of the icosahedral oxygen O$_{12}$ cages and the corresponding potential has a complicated form with many local minima.

We study the phase diagram and quantum critical region of one of the fundamental models for electronic correlations: the periodic Anderson model. Employing the recently developed dynamical vertex approximation, we find a phase transition between a zero-temperature antiferromagnetic insulator and a Kondo insulator. In the quantum critical region, we determine a critical exponent $\gamma\!=\!2$ for the antiferromagnetic susceptibility. At higher temperatures, we have free spins with $\gamma\!=\!1$ instead, whereas at lower temperatures, there is an even stronger increase and suppression of the susceptibility below and above the quantum critical point, respectively.

The properties of transition metal compounds are largely determined by nontrivial interplay of different degrees of freedom: charge, spin, lattice, but also orbital ones. Especially rich and interesting effects occur in systems with orbital degeneracy. They result in the famous Jahn-Teller effect leading to a plethora of consequences, in static and in dynamic properties, including nontrivial quantum effects. In the present review we discuss the main phenomena in the physics of such systems, paying central attention to the novel manifestations of those. After shortly summarising the basic phenomena and their description, we concentrate on several specific directions in this field. One of them is the reduction of effective dimensionality in many systems with orbital degrees of freedom due to directional character of orbitals, with concomitant appearance of some instabilities leading in particular to the formation of dimers, trimers and similar clusters in a material. The properties of such cluster systems, largely determined by their orbital structure, are discussed in detail, and many specific examples of those in different materials are presented. Another big field which acquired special significance relatively recently is the role of relativistic spin-orbit interaction. The mutual influence of this interaction and the more traditional Jahn-Teller physics is treated in details in the second part of the review. In discussing all these questions special attention is paid to novel quantum effects in those.

The universal symmetry, or conservation, of complexity underlies any law or principle of system dynamics and describes the unceasing transformation of dynamic information into dynamic entropy as the unique way to conserve their sum, the total dynamic complexity. Here we describe the real world structure emergence and dynamics as manifestation of the universal symmetry of complexity of initially homogeneous interaction between two protofields. It provides the unified complex-dynamic, causally complete origin of physically real, 3D space, time, elementary particles, their properties (mass, charge, spin, etc.), quantum, relativistic, and classical behaviour, as well as fundamental interaction forces, including naturally quantized gravitation. The old and new cosmological problems (including "dark" mass and energy) are basically solved for this explicitly emerging, self-tuning world structure characterised by strictly positive (and large) energy-complexity. A general relation is obtained between the numbers of world dimensions and fundamental forces, excluding plausible existence of hidden dimensions. The unified, causally explained quantum, classical, and relativistic properties (and types of behaviour) are generalised to all higher levels of complex world dynamics. The real world structure, dynamics, and evolution are exactly reproduced by the probabilistic dynamical fractal, which is obtained as the truly complete general solution of a problem and the unique structure of the new mathematics of complexity. We outline particular, problem-solving applications of always exact, but irregularly structured symmetry of unreduced dynamic complexity to microworld dynamics, including particle physics, genuine quantum chaos, real nanobiotechnology, and reliable genomics.

The effect of the spin-orbit coupling on the ground state properties of the square-lattice three-band Hubbard model with a single electron per site is studied by a generalized Hartree-Fock approximation. We calculate the full phase diagram and show that there appear additional orbital-entangled phases brought about by competition of various exchange channels or by the spin-orbit coupling in addition to conventional states stabilized by the Kugel-Khomskii mechanism. One of these phases previously proposed to explain magnetic properties of Sr$_2$VO$_4$ is characterized by vanishing dipolar magnetic moments and antiferro-octupolar ordering. We calculated microscopic parameters for this material and demonstrate that it is located near a phase boundary of two orbital-entangled and two conventional antiferromagnetic ferro-orbital states.

The results of the LSDA+U calculations for pyroxenes with diverse magnetic properties (Li,Na)TM(Si,Ge)$_2$O$_6$, where TM is the transition metal ion (Ti,V,Cr,Mn,Fe), are presented. We show that the anisotropic orbital ordering results in the spin-gap formation in NaTiSi$_2$O$_6$. The detailed analysis of different contributions to the intrachain exchange interactions for pyroxenes is performed both analytically using perturbation theory and basing on the results of the band structure calculations. The antiferromagnetic $t_{2g}-t_{2g}$ exchange is found to decrease gradually in going from Ti to Fe. It turns out to be nearly compensated by ferromagnetic interaction between half-filled $t_{2g}$ and empty $e_g$ orbitals in Cr-based pyroxenes. The fine-tuning of the interaction parameters by the crystal structure results in the ferromagnetism for NaCrGe$_2$O$_6$. Further increase of the total number of electrons and occupation of $e_g$ sub-shell makes the $t_{2g}-e_g$ contribution and total exchange interaction antiferromagnetic for Mn- and Fe-based pyroxenes. Strong oxygen polarization was found in Fe-based pyroxenes. It is shown that this effect leads to a considerable reduction of antiferromagnetic intrachain exchange. The obtained results may serve as a basis for the analysis of diverse magnetic properties of pyroxenes, including those with recently discovered multiferroic behavior.

Recently synthesized quadruple perovskite CuCu$_3$Fe$_2$Re$_2$O$_{12}$ possesses strong ferromagnetism and unusual electron properties, including enhanced electronic specific heat. Application of the first principles electronic structure approaches unambiguously shows importance of the many-body effects in this compound. While CuCu$_3$Fe$_2$Re$_2$O$_{12}$ is half-metallic ferrimagnet in the DFT+U method, in the density functional theory (DFT) combined with the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) it appears to be a metal. Strong correlations lead to a renormalization of electronic spectrum and formation of incoherent states close to the Fermi level. Electronic specific heat and magnetic properties obtained in the DFT+DMFT approach are in better agreement with available experimental data than derived by other band structure techniques.