Instability criterion of inhomogeneous atomic system

We present an instability criterion of an arbitrary atomic structure. Under this method, the energy balance of the whole system is rigorously considered by taking into account the degree of freedom of the atoms in the system, and the unstable deformation mode is evaluated. Furthermore, the method can be applied to any type of potential field, loading system, and structure. We examine the applicability of the method to the delamination of a thin film on a substrate to verify the method’s characteristics.