Benchmarking Universal Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials on Elemental Systems

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tahmasbi, Hossein, Knüpfer, Andreas, Kühne, Thomas D., Mirhosseini, Hossein
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866909977381175296
author Tahmasbi, Hossein
Knüpfer, Andreas
Kühne, Thomas D.
Mirhosseini, Hossein
author_facet Tahmasbi, Hossein
Knüpfer, Andreas
Kühne, Thomas D.
Mirhosseini, Hossein
contents The rapid emergence of universal Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials (uMLIPs) has transformed materials modeling. However, a comprehensive understanding of their generalization behavior across configurational space remains an open challenge. In this work, we introduce a benchmarking framework to evaluate both the equilibrium and far-from-equilibrium performance of state-of-the-art uMLIPs, including three MACE-based models, MatterSim, and PET-MAD. Our assessment utilizes Equation-of-State (EOS) tests to evaluate near-equilibrium properties, such as bulk moduli and equilibrium volumes, alongside extensive Minima Hopping (MH) structural searches to probe the global Potential Energy Surface (PES). Here, we assess universality within the fundamental limit of unary (elemental) systems, which serve as a necessary baseline for broader chemical generalization and provide a framework that can be systematically extended to multicomponent materials. We find that while most models exhibit high accuracy in reproducing equilibrium volumes for transition metals, significant performance gaps emerge in alkali and alkaline earth metal groups. Crucially, our MH results reveal a decoupling between search efficiency and structural fidelity, highlighting that smoother learned PESs do not necessarily yield more accurate energetic landscapes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_20230
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Benchmarking Universal Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials on Elemental Systems
Tahmasbi, Hossein
Knüpfer, Andreas
Kühne, Thomas D.
Mirhosseini, Hossein
Materials Science
The rapid emergence of universal Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials (uMLIPs) has transformed materials modeling. However, a comprehensive understanding of their generalization behavior across configurational space remains an open challenge. In this work, we introduce a benchmarking framework to evaluate both the equilibrium and far-from-equilibrium performance of state-of-the-art uMLIPs, including three MACE-based models, MatterSim, and PET-MAD. Our assessment utilizes Equation-of-State (EOS) tests to evaluate near-equilibrium properties, such as bulk moduli and equilibrium volumes, alongside extensive Minima Hopping (MH) structural searches to probe the global Potential Energy Surface (PES). Here, we assess universality within the fundamental limit of unary (elemental) systems, which serve as a necessary baseline for broader chemical generalization and provide a framework that can be systematically extended to multicomponent materials. We find that while most models exhibit high accuracy in reproducing equilibrium volumes for transition metals, significant performance gaps emerge in alkali and alkaline earth metal groups. Crucially, our MH results reveal a decoupling between search efficiency and structural fidelity, highlighting that smoother learned PESs do not necessarily yield more accurate energetic landscapes.
title Benchmarking Universal Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials on Elemental Systems
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.20230