Comment on "Mineral-water reactions in Earth's mantle: Predictions from Born theory and ab initio molecular dynamics" by Fowler et al. 2024 (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 372, 111-123)

Jiajia Huang , Ding Pan

This comment addresses discrepancies in dielectric constant calculations of water under extreme conditions ( ~10 GPa and 1000 K) between Fowler et al.'s recent study [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 372, 111-123 (2024)] and the earlier work by Pan et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 110, 6646–6650 (2013)]. Through reproduced ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations using the CP2K code with extended duration and identical system size, we validate that Pan et al.'s original results (39.4) are well-converged, contrasting with Fowler et al.'s reported value of 51. The observed discrepancy cannot be attributed to simulation duration limitations, but rather to methodological differences in dipole moment calculation. Our analysis highlights critical issues in the treatment of dipole moment fluctuations in periodic systems within the framework of modern theory of polarization. This clarification has significant implications for modeling mineral-water interactions in Earth's mantle using Born theory.