After over 50 years of research the breakthrough known as density functional theory has been transformed into a reliable and working 'gold standard' for atomic scale modelling in condensed matter. This includes most of the substances encountered in engineering materials science. Theories that abstract from DFT by coarse graining into schemes for the rapid calculation of interatomic forces have now matured. Here this situation is illustrated using two examples of recent and ongoing work. The intention is for engineers to become aware of what the physicists and theoretical physical metallurgists have been doing and thereby make the judgments necessary to discover how their research and development can benefit from recent advances.
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