Phonon dispersion in two-dimensional solids from atomic probability distributions

We propose a harmonic linear response (HLR) method to calculate the phonon dispersion relations of two-dimensional layers from equilibrium simulations at finite temperatures. This HLR approach is based on the linear response of the system, as derived from the analysis of its centroid density in equilibrium path integral simulations. In the classical limit, this approach is closely related to those methods that study vibrational properties by the diagonalization of the covariance matrix of atomic fluctuations. The validity of the method is tested in the calculation of the phonon dispersion relations of a graphene monolayer, a graphene bilayer, and graphane. Anharmonic effects in the phonon dispersion relations of graphene are demonstrated by the calculation of the temperature dependence of the following observables: the kinetic energy of the carbon atoms, the vibrational frequency of the optical E_2g mode, and the elastic moduli of the layer.