Magnetism and Sound Velocities of Iron Carbide （Fe3C） under Pressure

The elastic property and sound velocity of FeaC under high pressure are investigated by using the spin-polarized generalized gradient approximation within density-functional theory. It is found that the magnetic phase transition from the ground ferromagnetic （FM） state to the nonmagnetic （NM） state occurs at ～73 GPa. Based on the predicted Hugoniot of Fe3C, we calculate the sound velocities of FM-Fe3C and NM-Fe3C from elastic constants. Compared with pure iron, NM-FeaC provides a better match of compressional and shear sound velocities with the seismic data of the inner core, supporting carbon as one of the light elements in the inner core.