Control FermiSurfer¶
Launch¶
For Linux, Unix, Mac¶
You can launch generated executable as follows:
$ fermisurfer mgb2_vfz.fs
You need a space between the command and input-file name.
(The sample input file mgb2_vfz.fs
contains element of
the Fermi velocity in MgB2.)
For Windows¶
Click mouse right button on the input file. Choose “Open With …” menu,
then choose fermisurfer.exe
.
Then, Operations are printed, and Fermi surfaces are drawn (Fig. 1).

Main view.¶
The following operations are available:
Rotation of objects with mouse drag
Expand and shrink with mouse wheel
Window re-sizing
Moving objects with cursor keys (wasd for Windows)
Opeerate by using the panel
Here, I will explain all menus.
Note
Some operations are not applied immidiately, and after th “Update” button is pushed they are applied. Such operations are refered as “Update required”.
Line width¶
Modify the width of the Brillouin-zone boundary, the nodal line, etc.
Brillouin zone (Update required)¶
You choose Brillouin-zone type as follows (Fig. 5):
- First Brillouin Zone
The region surrounded by Bragg’s planes the nearest to
point.
- Primitive Brillouin Zone
A hexahedron whose corner is the reciprocal lattice point.

You can change the type of the Brillouin zone with “Brillouin zone” menu.¶
Number of Brillouin zone¶
We can specify how many zones are displayed along each reciprocal lattice vector.
Color bar¶
The color bar becomes enable/disable (Fig. 7).

Toggling the color bar with “Color bar On/Off” menu.¶
Color scale mode (Update required)¶
It turns color pattern on Fermi surfaces (Fig. 8).
- Input (1D) (default for the single input quatity) :
It makes blue as the minimum on Fermi surfaces and red as the maximum on them.
- Input (2D) (default for the double input quatity) :
The color plot is shown with the color circle (see the figure).
- Input (3D) (default for the triple input quatity) :
The input value is shown as arrows on the Fermi surfaces. The color of the Fermi surfaces are the same sa “Band Index” case.
- Fermi velocity (default for no input quantity)
Compute the Fermi velocity
with the numerical differentiation of the energy, and plot the absolute value of that.
- Band Index :
Fermi surfaces of each band are depicted with uni-color without relation to the matrix element.
- Input (1D, Gray), Fermi Velocity (Gray) :
Plot with gray scale.
We can change the range of the color plot or the length of arrows for 3D line plot by inputting into the text boxes at “Min of Scale” and “Max of Scale”, respectively.

“Color scale mode” menu.¶
Color sequence for plot¶
We can specify the sequence of color plot. “BGR” is Blue-Cyan-Green-Yellow-Red, “CMY” is Cyan-Blue-Magenta-Red-Yellow, “MCY” is Magenta-Blue-Cyan-Green-Yellow.
Equator (Update required)¶
We can draw the line where
for a vector
(equator or extremal orbit). See fig. 10.
We can toggle equator with the checkbox “Equator”
(this operation doed not require the update,
and modify the direction of the tangent vector
by using the textbox at “Equator-v :” (fractional coordinate).

Display the equator with the “Equator” menu.¶
Interpolation (Update required)¶
Smooth the Fermi surface with the interpolation (Fig. 11). The time for the plot increases with the interpolation ratio.

Modify the number of interpolation points from 1 to 4 with “Interpolate” menu.¶
Which (or both) side of Fermi surface is illuminated¶
We can choose the illuminatedside of the Fermi surface (Fig. 12).
- Both :
Light both sides.
- Unoccupy :
Light unoccupied side.
- Occupy :
Light the occupied side.

Change the lighted side by using the “Lighting” menu.¶
Mouse Drag¶
It turns the event of the mouse-left-drag.
- Rotate(default)
Rotate the figure along the mouse drag.
- Scale
Expand/shrink the figure in upward/downward drag.
- Translate
Translate the figure along the mouse drag.
Nodal line¶
The line on which the matrix element becomes 0 (we call it nodal line) becomes enable/disable (Fig. 14).

Toggling the node line with “Nodal line” menu.¶
Section of the Brillouine zone (Update required)¶
Display a 2D plot of the Fermi surface (line) on an arbitrary section of the Brillouin zone (Fig. 15).
We can toggle it with the checkbox “Section” (this operation does not require update), and can change the normal vector with the textbox at “Section-v :” (fractional coordinate).
If the checkbox “On Gamma” is turned on,
the section crosses point.

Display 2D plot of the Fermi surface (line) with “Section” menu.¶
Output section of the Brillouine zone¶
Above section of the Brillouin zone and Fermi surfaces are outputted into files “fermi_line.dat” and “bz_line.dat” by pushing this button.
These files are plotted in gnuplot as follows:
plot "fermi_line.dat" w l, "bz_line.dat" w l
Shift Fermi energy (Update required)¶
It shifts the Fermi energy (= 0 in default) to arbitrary value (Fig. 17).

The Fermi energy is set from 0 Ry to 0.1 Ry with “Shift Fermi energy” menu¶
Stereogram¶
The stereogram (parallel eyes and cross eyes) becomes enabled/disabled (Fig. 18).
None (Default)
- Parallel
Parallel-eyes stereogram
- Cross
Cross-eyes stereogram

The stereogram becomes enabled/disabled with “Stereogram” menu.¶
Tetrahedron (Update required)¶
You change the scheme to divide into tetrahedra (tetra # 1
as default).
It is experimental.
View point¶
Changing the view point.
- Scale
Change the size of the figure.
- Position
Change the xy position of the figure.
- Rotate
Change angles at x-, y-, z- axis. Rotations are performed as z-y-x axis if the “Roate” buttone is pushed.
In each menu, first the current value is printed. then a prompt to input the new value appears (Fig. 20).

Modify the view point by using “View point” menu¶
Saving images¶
fermisurfer
does not have any functions to save images to a file.
Please use the screenshot on your PC.