Energy not conserved in NVE

Hi,
I have run a LAMMPS run for SiC bulk system using the Tersoff/ZBL as supplied by LAMMPS distribution.

I have done the NPT first for 50 ps with a timestep of 1 fs and then switched it off and started NVE for 20 ps.

I noticed that during NPT T is maintained at 300 K. But as soon as I switched off NPT and switched on NVE, T increased from 300 K to 310 K and total energy also increased by ~75 eV.

I am pasting the input file below. I can’t find any obvious mistake in my input file.
Do you have any suggestion ?

echo both
units metal
dimension 3
#Periodic boundary conditions
boundary p p p

variables

variable temp equal 300.0
variable seed equal 3402219

#set up
atom_style atomic
#kspace_style ewald 1.0e-5
neighbor 1.0 bin
neigh_modify delay 0 every 1 check yes

#Create a lattice of zincblende SiC ( 3C - SiC )
read_data coord.xyz

mass 1 28.1 # type 1 = Si
mass 2 12.0 # type 2 = C

#Choose the potentials to be used
pair_style tersoff/zbl
pair_coeff * * SiC.tersoff.zbl Si C

velocity all create {temp} {seed} rot yes mom yes dist gaussian

fix 1 all npt temp {temp} {temp} 0.1 iso 0.0 0.0 1
thermo 500
thermo_style custom step temp pe ke etotal press
run 50000

SWITCHING OFF NVT…

unfix 1

AND SWITCHING ON NVE

fix 2 all nve
compute strf all stress/atom
dump 1 all custom 5 all.dump id type x y z vx vy vz c_strf[1] c_strf[2] c_strf[3] c_strf[4] c_strf[5] c_strf[6]
dump_modify 1 sort id
run 20000
undump 1

#write a restart file with atoms still in excited positions
write_restart final.RS

Thanks.

Have you tried the usual things - longer equilibration,
smaller timestep?

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for your comments.
Reducing stepsize to 0.1 fs helps to get energy conservation in NVE for SiC.
Best,

Note that if total energy (KE + PE) is conserved

when running NVE (after equil), then the
fact that temperature rises probably just
means you are not well-equlibrated yet.

If total E is not conserved, then reducing the
timestep is a good thing to try.

Steve

Steve,
Thanks again.
I have checked the thermodynamic output and both T and P are seen to be stable at target values.
Best,