Born-Oppenheimer Theory Research Articles

An electronic phase-space Hamiltonian approach for electronic current density and vibrational circular dichroism.

The Born-Oppenheimer framework stipulates that chemistry and physics occur on potential energy surfaces VBO(X) parameterized by a nuclear coordinate X, which are built by diagonalizing a BO Hamiltonian ĤBO(X). However, such a framework cannot recover many measurable chemical and physical features, including vibrational circular dichroism spectra. In this article, we show that a phase-space electronic Hamiltonian ĤPS(X,P), parameterized by both nuclear position X and momentum P, with a similar computational cost as solving ĤBO(X), can recover not just experimental vibrational circular dichroism signals but also a meaningful electronic current density that explains the features of the vibrational circular dichroism rotational strengths. Combined with earlier demonstrations that such Hamiltonians can also recover qualitatively correct electronic momenta with electronic densities that approximately satisfy a continuity equation, the data would suggest that, if one looks closely enough, chemistry in fact occurs on potential energy surfaces parameterized by both X and P, EPS(X, P). While the dynamical implications of such a phase-space electronic Hamiltonian are not yet known, we hypothesize that, by offering classical trajectories that explicitly offer nonzero electronic momentum while also conserving the total angular momentum (unlike Born-Oppenheimer theory), this new phase-space electronic structure Hamiltonian may well explain some fraction of the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect.

Beyond Born-Oppenheimer Treatment for Multi-State Photoelectron Spectra, Phase Transitions of Solids and Scattering Processes

The “completeness” and “accuracy” of first principle based Beyond Born-Oppenheimer (BBO) theory is reviewed with its theoretical developments and wide applications on various realistic spectroscopic systems, scattering processes and pervoskite molecules exhibiting phase transition phenomena. Over the last two decades, our group has formulated as well as implemented the BBO treatment to construct diabatic Hamiltonian for several spectroscopically interesting molecules (NO2 radical, Na3 and K3 clusters, NO3, C6H6+,1,3,5-C6H3F3+ and C4N2H4), octahedral units of perovskites ( MnO69− and TiO68− ) involving solid state phenomenon as well as triatomic reactive scattering processes ( H3+ , HeH2+ and F+H2) to depict the effects of electron-nuclear couplings. Such diabatic Hamiltonians have been further used to perform quantum dynamical calculations to obtain observables (photoelectron spectra for spectroscopic/solid state systems and cross-sections/rate constants for scattering processes), which show excellent agreement with the recent experimental findings. In summary, this article provides the current perspective of BBO approach as well as Jahn-Teller (JT) theory with various applications on molecular systems/chemical processes.

Diagonalizing the Born-Oppenheimer Hamiltonian via Moyal perturbation theory, nonadiabatic corrections, and translational degrees of freedom.

This article describes a method for calculating higher order or nonadiabatic corrections in Born-Oppenheimer theory and its interaction with the translational degrees of freedom. The method uses the Wigner-Weyl correspondence to map nuclear operators into functions on the classical phase space and the Moyal star product to represent operator multiplication on those functions. These are explained in the body of the paper. The result is a power series in κ2, where κ = (m/M)1/4 is the usual Born-Oppenheimer parameter. The lowest order term is the usual Born-Oppenheimer approximation, while higher order terms are nonadiabatic corrections. These are needed in calculations of electronic currents, momenta, and densities. The separation of nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom takes place in the context of the exact symmetries (for an isolated molecule) of translations and rotations, and these, especially translations, are explicitly incorporated into our discussion. This article presents an independent derivation of the Moyal expansion in molecular Born-Oppenheimer theory. We show how electronic currents and momenta can be calculated within the framework of Moyal perturbation theory; we derive the transformation laws of the electronic Hamiltonian, the electronic eigenstates, and the derivative couplings under translations; we discuss in detail the rectilinear motion of the molecular center of mass in the Born-Oppenheimer representation; and we show how the elimination of the translational components of the derivative couplings leads to a unitary transformation that has the effect of exactly separating the translational degrees of freedom.

Photoelectron spectra of benzene: Can path dependent diabatic surfaces provide unique observables?

While carrying out Beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory based diabatization, the solutions of adiabatic-to-diabatic transformation equations depend on the paths of integration over two-dimensional cross-sections of multi-dimensional space of nuclear degrees of freedom. It is shown that such path-dependent solutions leading to diabatic potential energy surface matrices computed along any two different paths are related through an orthogonal matrix, and thereby, those surface matrices should provide unique observables. While exploring the numerical validity of the theoretical framework, we construct diabatic Hamiltonians for the five low-lying electronic states (X̃2E1g, B̃2E2g, and C̃2A2u) of benzene radical cation (C6H6+) along three different approaches of contour integration over two dimensional nuclear planes constituted by seven non-adiabatically active normal modes. Three different diabatic surface matrices are further employed to generate the photoelectron spectra of the benzene molecule (C6H6). It is interesting to note that the spectral peak positions and intensity patterns for all three cases are almost close to each other and also exhibit very good agreement with the experimental results.

Beyond Born-Oppenheimer Constructed Diabatic Potential Energy Surfaces for HeH2.

First-principles based beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory has been employed to construct multistate global Potential-Energy Surfaces (PESs) for the HeH2+ system by explicitly incorporating the Nonadiabatic Coupling Terms (NACTs). Adiabatic PESs and NACTs for the lowest four electronic states (12A', 22A', 32A' and 42A') are evaluated as functions of hyperangles for a grid of fixed values of the hyperradius in hyperspherical coordinates. Conical intersection between different states are validated by integrating the NACTs along appropriately chosen contours. Subsequently, adiabatic-to-diabatic (ADT) transformation angles are determined by solving the ADT equations to construct the diabatic potential matrix for the HeH2+ system which are smooth, single-valued, continuous, and symmetric and are suitable for performing accurate scattering calculations for the titled system.

Representation and conservation of angular momentum in the Born-Oppenheimer theory of polyatomic molecules.

This paper concerns the representation of angular momentum operators in the Born-Oppenheimer theory of polyatomic molecules and the various forms of the associated conservation laws. Topics addressed include the question of whether these conservation laws are exactly equivalent or only to some order of the Born-Oppenheimer parameter κ = (m/M)1/4 and what the correlation is between angular momentum quantum numbers in the various representations. These questions are addressed in both problems involving a single potential energy surface and those with multiple, strongly coupled surfaces and in both the electrostatic model and those for which fine structure and electron spin are important. The analysis leads to an examination of the transformation laws under rotations of the electronic Hamiltonian; of the basis states, both adiabatic and diabatic, along with their phase conventions; of the potential energy matrix; and of the derivative couplings. These transformation laws are placed in the geometrical context of the structures in the nuclear configuration space that are induced by rotations, which include the rotational orbits or fibers, the surfaces upon which the orientation of the molecule changes but not its shape, and the section, an initial value surface that cuts transversally through the fibers. Finally, it is suggested that the usual Born-Oppenheimer approximation can be replaced by a dressing transformation, that is, a sequence of unitary transformations that block-diagonalize the Hamiltonian. When the dressing transformation is carried out, we find that the angular momentum operator does not change. This is a part of a system of exact equivalences among various representations of angular momentum operators in Born-Oppenheimer theory. Our analysis accommodates large-amplitude motions and is not dependent on small-amplitude expansions about an equilibrium position. Our analysis applies to noncollinear configurations of a polyatomic molecule; this covers all but a subset of measure zero (the collinear configurations) in the nuclear configuration space.

Exact factorization of the many-body Green's function theory of electrons and nuclei

We combine the recently developed many-body Green's function theory for electrons and nuclei with the exact factorization of the wave function. The existing Born-Oppenheimer Green's functions are shown to be special cases of our exact approach. We consider the limitations of the laboratory frame formulation of the Green's function theory and discuss why the body-fixed frame formulation is needed in order to go beyond the Born-Oppenheimer theory. We give exact forms of the electronic and nuclear Green's functions written in terms of the exact factorized states, providing a systematic approach beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The lowest order approximation to the exact electronic Green's function is found to be an expected value of the Born-Oppenheimer electronic Green's function with respect to the nuclear density.

Jahn-Teller Effect in Orthorhombic Manganites: Ab Initio Hamiltonian and Roto-vibrational Spectrum.

For the first time, using three different electronic structure methodologies, namely, CASSCF, RS2c, and MRCI(SD), we construct ab initio adiabatic potential energy surfaces (APESs) and nonadiabatic coupling term (NACT) of two electronic states (5Eg) of MnO69- unit, where eight such units share one La atom in LaMnO3 crystal. While fitting those APESs with analytic functions of normal modes (Qx, Qy), an empirical scaling factor is introduced considering the mass ratio of eight MnO69- units with and without one La atom to explore the environmental (mass) effect on MnO69- unit. When the roto-vibrational levels of MnO69- Hamiltonian are calculated, peak positions computed from ab initio constructed excited APESs are found to be enough close with the experimental satellite transitions [ J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 2016, 122, 890-901] endorsing our earlier model results [ J. Chem. Phys. 2019, 150, 064703]. In order to explore the electron-nuclear coupling in an alternate way, theoretically "exact" and numerically "accurate" beyond Born-Oppenheimer (BBO) theory based diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) of MnO69- are constructed to generate the photoelectron (PE) spectra. The PE spectral band also exhibits good peak by peak correspondence with the higher satellite transitions in the dielectric function spectra of the LaMnO3 complex.

Charge Transfer Processes for H + H2+ Reaction Employing Coupled 3D Wavepacket Approach on Beyond Born-Oppenheimer Based Ab Initio Constructed Diabatic Potential Energy Surfaces.

The dynamics of the H + H2+ reaction has been analyzed from the electronically first excited state of diabatic potential energy surfaces constructed by employing the Beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory [J. Chem. Phys. 2014, 141, 204306]. We have employed the coupled 3D time-dependent wavepacket formalism in hyperspherical coordinates for multisurface reactive scattering problems. To be specific, the charge transfer processes have been investigated extensively by calculating state-to-state as well as total reaction probabilities and integral cross sections, when the reaction process is initiated from the first excited electronic state (21A'). We have depicted the convergence profiles of reaction probabilities for the competing charge transfer processes, namely, reactive charge transfer (RCT) and nonreactive charge transfer (NRCT) processes for different total energies with respect to total angular momentum, J. Total and state-to-state integral cross sections are calculated as a function of total energy for the initial rovibrational state, namely, v = 0, j = 0 level of H2+ (2Σg+) molecule and are compared with previous theoretical calculations. Finally, we have calculated temperature-dependent rate constants using our presently evaluated cross sections and compared their average with the experimentally measured one.

Beyond Born-Oppenheimer constructed diabatic potential energy surfaces for F + H2 reaction.

First principles based beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory has been implemented on the F + H2 system for constructing multistate global diabatic Potential Energy Surfaces (PESs) through the incorporation of Nonadiabatic Coupling Terms (NACTs) explicitly. The spin-orbit (SO) coupling effect on the collision process of the F + H2 reaction has been included as a perturbation to the non-relativistic electronic Hamiltonian. Adiabatic PESs and NACTs for the lowest three electronic states (12A', 22A', and 12A″) are determined in hyperspherical coordinates as functions of hyperangles for a grid of fixed values of the hyperradius. Jahn-Teller (JT) type conical intersections between the two A' states translate along C2v and linear geometries in F + H2. In addition, A' and A″ states undergo Renner-Teller (RT) interaction at collinear configurations of this system. Both JT and RT couplings are validated by integrating NACTs along properly chosen contours. Subsequently, we have solved adiabatic-to-diabatic transformation (ADT) equations to evaluate the ADT angles for constructing the diabatic potential matrix of F + H2, including the SO coupling terms. The newly calculated diabatic PESs are found to be smooth, single-valued, continuous, and symmetric and can be invoked for performing accurate scattering calculations on the F + H2 system.

Non-adiabatic transitions in the reaction of fluorine with methane.

Reactions of methane with different atoms are benchmark examples of elementary reaction processes intensively studied by theory and experiment. Due to the presence of conical intersections and spin-orbit coupling, non-adiabatic transitions can occur in reactions with F, Cl, or O atoms. Extending detailed quantum theory beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation for polyatomic reaction processes, non-adiabatic wave packet dynamics calculations studying the F(2P3/2)/F*(2P1/2) + CHD3 → HF + CD3 reaction on accurate vibronically and spin-orbit coupled diabatic potential energy surfaces are presented. Non-adiabatic transitions are found to increase the reactivity compared to Born-Oppenheimer theory and are more prominent than in triatomic reactions previously studied. Furthermore, the lifetimes of reactive resonances are reduced. The reactivity of F(2P3/2) is found to exceed the one of F*(2P1/2) even at low collision energies.

The role of electron-nuclear coupling on multi-state photoelectron spectra, scattering processes and phase transitions.

We present first principle based beyond Born-Oppenheimer (BBO) theory and its applications on various models as well as realistic spectroscopic and scattering processes, where the Jahn-Teller (JT) theory is brought in conjunction with the BBO approach on the phase transition of lanthanide complexes. Over one and half decades, our development of BBO theory is demonstrated with ab initio calculations on representative molecules of spectroscopic interest (NO2 radical, Na3 and K3 clusters, NO3 radical, C6H6+ and 1,3,5-C6H3F3+ radical cations) as well as triatomic reactive scattering processes (H+ + H2 and F + H2). Such an approach exhibits the effect of JT, Renner-Teller (RT) and pseudo Jahn-Teller (PJT) type of interactions. While implementing the BBO theory, we generate highly accurate diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) to carry out quantum dynamics calculation and find excellent agreement with experimental photoelectron spectra of spectroscopic systems and cross-sections/rate constants of scattering processes. On the other hand, such electron-nuclear couplings incorporated through JT theory play a crucial role in dictating higher energy satellite transitions in the dielectric function spectra of the LaMnO3 complex. Overall, this article thoroughly sketches the current perspective of the BBO approach and its connection with JT theory with various applications on physical and chemical processes.

Beyond Born-Oppenheimer treatment on spectroscopic and scattering processes

We review the formulation of beyond Born-Oppenheimer (BBO) theory based on first principle for the construction of diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) both for few important spectroscopic systems, viz., Na3 cluster, NO2 radical as well as scattering process like D+ + H2. The essential theoretical development leading to the BBO equations are thoroughly discussed. It has been found that the above molecular systems posses numerous nonadiabatic interactions that range from Jahn-Teller, Renner-Teller types of conical intersections along with strong pseudo Jahn-Teller couplings between various electronic states. We have calculated the adiabatic PESs and nonadiabatic coupling terms for those systems and subsequently performed adiabatic-to-diabatic transformation to construct smooth, symmetric and continuous diabatic potential energy matrix. Nuclear dynamics has been performed on the diabatic PESs of Na3 and NO2 to simulate the photoelectron spectra that match quite well with the experimentally measured ones. Moreover, we have carried out reactive scattering dynamics on the adiabatic and diabatic surfaces of system to reproduce experimental cross sections for reactive charge and non-charge transfer processes.

Topological Effects in Vibronically Coupled Degenerate Electronic States: A Case Study on Nitrate and Benzene Radical Cation.

We carry out detailed investigation for topological effects of two molecular systems, NO3 radical and C6H6+ (Bz+) radical cation, where the dressed adiabatic, dressed diabatic, and adiabatic-via-dressed diabatic potential energy curves (PECs) are generated employing ab initio calculated adiabatic and diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs). We have implemented beyond Born–Oppenheimer (BBO) theory for constructing smooth, single-valued, and continuous diabatic PESs for five coupled electronic states [J. Phys. Chem. A2017,121, 6314–6326]. In the case of NO3 radical, the nonadiabatic coupling terms (NACTs) among the low-lying five electronic states, namely, X̃2A2′ (12B2), A~2E″ (12A2 and 12B1), and B~2E′ (12A1 and 22B2), bear the signature of Jahn–Teller (JT) interactions, pseudo JT (PJT) interactions, and accidental conical intersections (CIs). Similarly, Bz+ radical cation also exhibits JT, PJT, and accidental CIs in the interested domain of nuclear configuration space. In order to generate dressed PECs, two components of degenerate in-plane asymmetric stretching modes are selectively chosen for both the molecular species (Q3x–Q3y pair for NO3 radical and Q16x–Q16y pair for Bz+ radical cation). The JT coupling between the electronic states is essentially originated through the asymmetric stretching normal mode pair, where the coupling elements exhibit symmetric and nonlinear functional behavior along Q3x and Q16x normal modes.

A beyond Born-Oppenheimer treatment of five state molecular system [formula omitted] and the photodetachment spectra of its anion

A five-state multimode non-adiabatic dynamics has been performed on NO3 by constructing accurate diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) in vibronically coupled manifold using beyond Born-Oppenheimer (BBO) theory. In this article, we have considered the photodetachment of NO3- to the doublet states (X∼2A2′, A∼2E″ and B∼2E′) of NO3 and determined the vibronic couplings and conical intersections of the latter. Using ab initio calculated adiabatic PESs and Non-adiabatic Coupling Terms, we have carried out adiabatic-to-diabatic transformation (ADT) in five-state sub-Hilbert space to obtain ADT angles and thereby, constructed single-valued, smooth, symmetric and continuous diabatic PESs. The explicit analytic expressions for diabatic PESs and coupling elements are provided. Subsequently, we have performed nuclear dynamics starting from the electronic ground state of NO3- to simulate photodetachment spectra. The overall spectral profiles for 2A2′ and 2E″ states show reasonably good agreement with experimental results and that of 2E′ state with other theoretical calculations.

Beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory for ab initio constructed diabatic potential energy surfaces of singlet H3+ to study reaction dynamics using coupled 3D time-dependent wave-packet approach.

The workability of beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory to construct diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) of a charge transfer atom-diatom collision process has been explored by performing scattering calculations to extract accurate integral cross sections (ICSs) and rate constants for comparison with most recent experimental quantities. We calculate non-adiabatic coupling terms among the lowest three singlet states of H3+ system (11A', 21A', and 31A') using MRCI level of calculation and solve the adiabatic-diabatic transformation equation to formulate the diabatic Hamiltonian matrix of the same process [S. Mukherjee et al., J. Chem. Phys. 141, 204306 (2014)] for the entire region of nuclear configuration space. The nonadiabatic effects in the D+ + H2 reaction has been studied by implementing the coupled 3D time-dependent wave packet formalism in hyperspherical coordinates [S. Adhikari and A. J. C. Varandas, Comput. Phys. Commun. 184, 270 (2013)] with zero and non-zero total angular momentum (J) on such newly constructed accurate (ab initio) diabatic PESs of H3+. We have depicted the convergence profiles of reaction probabilities for the reactive non-charge transfer, non-reactive charge transfer, and reactive charge transfer processes for different collisional energies with respect to the helicity (K) and total angular momentum (J) quantum numbers. Finally, total and state-to-state ICSs are calculated as a function of collision energy for the initial rovibrational state (v = 0, j = 0) of the H2 molecule, and consequently, those quantities are compared with previous theoretical and experimental results.

Magnetic WKB Constructions

This paper is devoted to the semiclassical magnetic Laplacian. Until now WKB expansions for the eigenfunctions were only established in the presence of a non-zero electric potential. Here we tackle the pure magnetic case. Thanks to Feynman–Hellmann type formulas and coherent states decomposition, we develop here a magnetic Born–Oppenheimer theory. Exploiting the multiple scales of the problem, we are led to solve an effective eikonal equation in pure magnetic cases and to obtain WKB expansions.We also investigate explicit examples for which we can improve our general theorem: global WKB expansions, quasi-optimal Agmon estimates and upper bound of the tunelling effect (in symmetric cases).We also apply our strategy to get more accurate descriptions of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions in a wide range of situations analyzed in the last two decades.

Ab initio constructed diabatic surfaces of NO2 and the photodetachment spectra of its anion.

A thorough investigation has been performed for electronic structure, topological effect, and nuclear dynamics of NO2 molecule, where the adiabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs), conical intersections between the ground (X(2)A1) and the first excited state (A(2)B2), and the corresponding non-adiabatic coupling terms between those states are recalculated [Chem. Phys. 416, 11 (2013)] to achieve enough accuracy in dynamics. We employ beyond Born-Oppenheimer theory for these two state sub-Hilbert space to carry out adiabatic to diabatic transformation (ADT) to obtain the ADT angles and thereby, to construct single-valued, smooth, and continuous diabatic PESs. The analytic expressions for the adiabatic PESs and ADT angles are provided to represent a two-state three-mode diabatic Hamiltonian of NO2 for performing nuclear dynamics to calculate the photo-electron spectra of its anion. It appears that not only Jahn-Teller type coupling but also Renner-Teller interaction contributes significantly on the overall spectrum. The coupling between the electronic states (X(2)A1 and A(2)B2) of NO2 is essentially through the asymmetric stretching mode, where the functional form of such interaction is distinctly symmetric and non-linear.

MULTISCALE BORN-OPPENHEIMER THEORY OF COLLECTIVE ELECTRON-NUCLEAR DYNAMICS IN NANOSYSTEMS

Born-Oppenheimer theory is based on the separation in timescales between the nuclear and electron dynamics implied by the electron-to-nuclear mass ratio. This makes it naturally fit into a multiscale analysis. It is shown that a fully dynamical Born-Oppenheimer theory follows from a multiscale ansatz on the wave function and a Taylor expansion in the mass ratio. Allowing for a larger spatial scale of electron motion yields an understanding of boson, fermion, and more complex excitations that involve quasi-particles with an effective mass not equal to that of the electron. The theory involves a unified asymptotic expansion in a mass and length scale ratio, and preserves all many-body effects via accounting for the full strength of the interparticle forces. A novel mean-field theory emerges based on the fact that long-scale migration allows each electron to interact with many others on the space-time scale relevant to the coarse-grained equation. Implications for computational methods and applications to quantum nanosystems such as quantum dots, nanowires, superconducting nanoparticles, and liquid He droplets are discussed.

Space-adiabatic perturbation theory in quantum dynamics.

A systematic perturbation scheme is developed for approximate solutions to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation with a space-adiabatic Hamiltonian. For a particular isolated energy band, the basic approach is to separate kinematics from dynamics. The kinematics is defined through a subspace of the full Hilbert space for which transitions to other band subspaces are suppressed to all orders, and the dynamics operates in that subspace in terms of an effective intraband Hamiltonian. As novel applications, we discuss the Born-Oppenheimer theory to second order and derive for the first time the nonperturbative definition of the g factor of the electron within nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics.