Positive Definiteness of the Blended Force-Based Quasicontinuum Method

The development of consistent and stable quasicontinuum models for multidimensional crystalline solids remains a challenge. For example, proving the stability of the force-based quasicontinuum (QCF) model [M. Dobson and M. Luskin, M2AN Math. Model. Numer. Anal., 42 (2008), pp. 113–139] remains an open problem. In one and two dimensions, we show that by blending atomistic and Cauchy–Born continuum forces (instead of a sharp transition as in the QCF method) one obtains positive-definite blended force-based quasicontinuum (B-QCF) models. We establish sharp conditions on the required blending width.