Double Excitation Configuration Interaction Research Articles

Theoretical investigation of electron capture processes in slow O7+–H collisions

Aims. The total and n-, l-, and S -resolved single-electron-capture cross sections for the collisions of O7+ with atomic hydrogen are studied in the energy region from 10−3eV u−1−5keV u−1. Methods. These state-selective cross sections were calculated by employing the full quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (QMOCC) method. The ab initio multireference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction approach, with optimized atomic basis sets to accurately describe the highly excited states, was used to obtain the adiabatic potentials and the radial and rotational coupling matrix elements that are required in the QMOCC calculation. Results. Our results are compared with other available theoretical and experimental data. The n = 5 manifold is the dominant reaction channel for the chasrge-transfer process for this collision system over the entire energy range, and our results agree better with the experimental data than the other theoretical results in the energy region in which they overlap because we included the necessary highly excited states in the expansion basis set. These charge-exchange cross-section data are useful for understanding and modeling the X-ray emission in astrophysical environments.

Elastic and electron capture processes in slow He+–He collision

Aims. The elastic and electron-capture processes of He+ ions with ground helium atoms are very important for studies in astrophysics. It is essential to have reliable state-selective charge transfer, elastic, and transport cross-sections, along with the corresponding reaction rate coefficient data, especially for low collision energies. Methods. We investigated the elastic and non-radiative electron-capture processes in He+(1s)–He(1s2) collisions are investigated employing the full quantum-mechanical molecular orbital close-coupling method. The adopted ab initio adiabatic potentials and coupling matrix elements were obtained by a multi-reference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction approach. Results. We computed the elastic, charge-transfer, and transport cross-sections in the energy range of 0.01–2500eVamu−1 and the reaction rate coefficient in the temperature range of 10–109 K. Good agreement was achieved when compared to the available experimental and theoretical results. Shape resonance, Regge, and Glory oscillations were also found in the elastic and charge transfer cross-sections in the energy region considered here.

Inelastic squared form factors of the vibronic states of B1Σu+, C1Πu , and EF1Σg+ for molecular D2 studied by high-energy electron scattering

The inelastic squared form factors of the valence-shell excitations of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ were measured by high-energy electron scattering and calculated by the multireference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction method in the present work. It is found that for the ${B}^{1}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}_{u}{}^{+}$ state of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$, the theoretical calculation cannot satisfactorily reproduce the inelastic squared form factors with a higher vibrational quantum number. For the vibronic states of ${C}^{1}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}}_{u}$ and $E{F}^{1}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}_{g}{}^{+}$ of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$, obvious discrepancies between our electron-scattering results and theoretical calculations are found. Similar phenomena observed for ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, HD, and ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ may be attributed to electronic-vibrational coupling and the failure of the first Born approximation at an incident electron energy of 1500 eV. Furthermore, the present inelastic squared form factors of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ are in good agreement with the ones of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ and HD, which indicates that there is no isotope effect for the electronic matrix elements of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, HD, and ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ in the momentum space.

Photodissociation dynamics of water molecule at short photon wavelengths: full dimensional potential energy surface of Rydberg states

In this work, we have combined the multi-reference double-excitation configuration interaction method, developed by Buenker and Peyerimhoff (1974 Theor. Chim. Acta 35 33), with molecular orbitals optimized with a multi-configurational self-consistent-field approach. Using the example of the water molecule, we show that such a combined technique lowers the computational costs while improving the overall accuracy, especially for highly excited states. With this new approach, we have computed the full-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) of water molecule up to the states. Furthermore, using these PESs we study the photodissociation dynamics of water triggered with short wavelength photons, which have been investigated in recent free electron laser experiments. Our results indicate new and efficient fragmentation pathways. This work paves the way to the study of reaction dynamics of polyatomic molecules in high-lying electronic states.

Effect of spin–orbit coupling on strong field ionization simulated with time-dependent configuration interaction

Time-dependent configuration interaction with a complex absorbing potential has been used to simulate strong field ionization by intense laser fields. Because spin-orbit coupling changes the energies of the ground and excited states, it can affect the strong field ionization rate for molecules containing heavy atoms. Configuration interaction with single excitations (CIS) has been employed for strong field ionization of closed shell systems. Single and double excitation configuration interaction with ionization (CISD-IP) has been used to treat ionization of degenerate states of cations on an equal footing. The CISD-IP wavefunction consists of ionizing single (one hole) and double (two hole/one particle) excitations from the neutral atom. Spin-orbit coupling has been implemented using an effective one electron spin-orbit coupling operator. The effective nuclear charge in the spin-orbit coupling operator has been optimized for Ar+, Kr+, Xe+, HX+ (X = Cl, Br, and I). Spin-orbit effects on angular dependence of the strong field ionization have been studied for HX and HX+. The effects of spin-orbit coupling are largest for ionization from the π orbitals of HX+. In a static field, oscillations are seen between the 2Π3/2 and 2Π1/2 states of HX+. For ionization of HX+ by a two cycle circularly polarized pulse, a single peak is seen when the maximum in the carrier envelope is perpendicular to the molecular axis and two peaks are seen when it is parallel to the axis. This is the result of the greater ionization rate for the π orbitals than for the σ orbitals.

Molecular Opacity Calculations for Lithium Hydride at Low TemperatureSupported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0402300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11934004 and 11604052), and the University Nursing Program for Young Scholars with Creative Talents in Heilongjiang Province, China (Grant No. 135409230).

The opacities of the lithium hydride molecule are calculated for temperatures of 300 K, 1000 K, 1500 K, and 2000 K, at a pressure of 10 atm, in which the contributions from the five low-lying electronic states are considered. The ab initio multi-reference single and double excitation configuration interaction (MRDCI) method is applied to compute the potential energy curves (PECs) of the 7LiH, including four 1 Σ + states and one 1 Π state, as well as the corresponding transition dipole moments between these states. The ro-vibrational energy levels are calculated based on the PECs obtained, together with the spectroscopic constants. In addition, the partition functions are also computed, and are provided at temperatures ranging from 10 K to 2000 K for 7LiH, 7LiD, 6LiH, and 6LiD.

Angular dependence of strong field sequential double ionization for neon and acetylene simulated with time-dependent configuration interaction using CIS and CISD-IP.

Strong field ionization is fundamentally important for attosecond spectroscopy and coherence control. However, the modeling beyond the single active electron approximation is still difficult. Time-dependent configuration interaction with singly excited configurations and a complex absorbing potential (TDCIS-CAP), can be used to simulate single and double ionization by intense laser fields. When the monocation does not have degenerate states, TDCIS-CAP starting from a Hartree-Fock calculation of the cation is suitable for simulating the second ionization step. When the monocation has two or more degenerate states, the simulations should treat these degenerate states equivalently. CISD-IP (single and double excitation configuration interaction with ionization) can be used to treat degenerate states of the cation on an equal footing by representing the cation wavefunctions with ionizing single (1 hole) and double (2 holes/1 particle) excitations from the neutral molecule. Since CISD-IP includes single excitations for each of the monocation states, time dependent CISD-IP with a complex absorbing potential (TDCISDIP-CAP) can also be used to simulate ionization to the dications states. In this work, TDCIS-CAP and TDCISDIP-CAP have been used to simulate the angular dependence of ionization of the neon cation and acetylene cation. In both cases, the second electron is ionized predominantly from an orbital perpendicular to the orbital involved in the first ionization. The TDCISDIP-CAP simulations show some features involving interactions between the monocation states that are not seen in the TDCIS-CAP simulations.

Electron capture in slow collisions of O6+ions with atomic hydrogen

Aims. Electron capture in collisions of highly charged O6+ions with ground-state hydrogen atoms is a very important process in solar wind X-ray studies.Methods. In the present study, the full quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling method is employed to study electron capture reactions in collisions of O6+ion with ground-state atomic hydrogen in the energy region from 10−4keV u−1to 5 keV u−1. The ab initio multi-reference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction (MRD-CI) method is used to calculate the potential and coupling data used in the QMOCC calculations.Results. Total and state-selective cross sections for the dominant and subdominant reaction channels are calculated and compared with the available experimental and theoretical data. The branching ratios for Lithium-like O5+excited ions are used to calculate the contribution of cascade radiative transitions fromn = 5 levels to the population of 4l states. From the calculated cross sections, reaction rate coefficients are obtained for temperatures between 1000 and 1 × 109K and compared with other calculations.

Determining whether diabolical singularities limit the accuracy of molecular property based diabatic representations: The 1,21A states of methylamine.

An efficient, easily implemented method for locating singularities attributable to the failure of the defining equations in a molecular property based diabatization, termed diabolical singular points, is reported. For two state diabatizations, the singular points form a seam of dimension N int - 2, where N int is the number of internal degrees of freedom. The dynamical outcomes of nuclear trajectories that reach the region of this seam are flawed. The algorithm easily identifies these otherwise hard to anticipate regions of fallaciously large derivative coupling. The fact that the algorithm is easily incorporated into a two state diabatization code based on molecular properties makes it a practical tool for determining whether the existence of diabolical singularities is relevant to the problem being considered. The algorithm is illustrated using a multireference single and double excitation configuration interaction description of the 1,21A states of CH3NH2.

Coupled-channel study of the Rydberg-valence interaction in HBr.

We report an ab initio study of the low-lying valence and Rydberg states of HBr. The calculations are carried out employing the multireference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction method including the spin-orbit interaction. The first excited adiabatic potential of 1Σ+ symmetry presents two minima which correspond to the Rydberg E1Σ+ and valence V1Σ+ observed states. We calculate the vibrational levels of these two states using a coupled-channel treatment based on the two diabatic potentials deduced from the ab initio adiabatic potentials and the Rydberg-valence interaction. The chaotic energy separations between the observed levels are well reproduced in the calculations. We have also obtained for the first time theoretical data for numerous Rydberg states of HBr lying in the (66-79) × 103 cm-1 excitation energy interval. The calculated spectroscopic parameters are found to be in good agreement with experiment and provide a basis for future studies of radiative and non-radiative processes in the HBr molecule.

Molecular opacities of the transitions for the lowest four singlet states of BeH+

The rovibrational transition lines are computed for the lowest four singlet states of BeH+, including three 1Σ+ and one 1Π states, and the collisionally-broadened BeH+ opacities relevant to stellar atmospheres are computed using these line lists for the temperatures of 1800 K, 4500 K, 10,000 K, 20,000 K and a pressure of 100 atms. The ab initio multi-reference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction (MRDCI) method is employed to calculate the potentials and dipole transition momentum, based on which the spectroscopic constants are extracted and the corresponding ro-vibrational energies, Einstein coefficients as well as oscillator strengths are computed with high precision. For the convenience of relevant application, the partition functions are calculated from 100 K to 40,000 K, which are important for the modeling of features of interstellar observations as well as the fusion plasma emissions in the edge and divertor region.

Spin-resolved state-selective electron capture in C5+-H collisions

The electron capture processes in the C5+(1s)+H(1s) collision system are investigated by the quantum-mechanical molecular orbital close-coupling (QMOCC) method in the energy range of 10−5–10 keV u−1. Accurate molecular structure calculations are performed by the ab initio multireference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction method. The electron translational effects are included in the calculations. The total and spin-resolved state-selective cross sections are presented and compared with the available experimental and theoretical data. The present results have a good agreement with the experimental measurements. Our calculations show that the electron translation factors play a very important role for energies above 0.1 keV u−1 leading to significant differences between the present and the previous QMOOC cross section results of Nolte et al 2012 (J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 45 245202). The effects of the core electron also cannot be ignored below 2 keV u−1. Model potential calculations, in which the core electron is treated as frozen, cannot give accurate spin-resolved cross sections.

Molecular electric moments calculated by using natural orbital functional theory.

The molecular electric dipole, quadrupole, and octupole moments of a selected set of 21 spin-compensated molecules are determined employing the extended version of the Piris natural orbital functional 6 (PNOF6), using the triple-ζ Gaussian basis set with polarization functions developed by Sadlej, at the experimental geometries. The performance of the PNOF6 is established by carrying out a statistical analysis of the mean absolute errors with respect to the experiment. The calculated PNOF6 electric moments agree satisfactorily with the corresponding experimental data and are in good agreement with the values obtained by accurate ab initio methods, namely, the coupled-cluster single and doubles and multi-reference single and double excitation configuration interaction methods.

Rydberg, valence, and ion-pair quintet states of O2.

We report an ab initio study of the quintet states of molecular oxygen. The calculations are carried out employing the multireference single and double excitation configuration interaction package. Potential energy curves of the six quintet valence states dissociating into ground state atoms and of the four quintet states dissociating to ion-pair atoms were computed. A number of bound quintet Rydberg series converging to the a(4)Πu and b(4)Σg(-) states of the O2(+) cation have been identified.

An improved quasi-diabatic representation of the 1, 2, 3(1)A coupled adiabatic potential energy surfaces of phenol in the full 33 internal coordinates.

In a recent work we constructed a quasi-diabatic representation, H(d), of the 1, 2, 3(1)A adiabatic states of phenol from high level multireference single and double excitation configuration interaction electronic structure data, energies, energy gradients, and derivative couplings. That H(d) accurately describes surface minima, saddle points, and also regions of strong nonadiabatic interactions, reproducing the locus of conical intersection seams and the coordinate dependence of the derivative couplings. The present work determines the accuracy of H(d) for describing phenol photodissociation. Additionally, we demonstrate that a modest energetic shift of two diabats yields a quantifiably more accurate H(d) compared with experimental energetics. The analysis shows that in favorable circumstances it is possible to use single point energies obtained from the most reliable electronic structure methods available, including methods for which the energy gradients and derivative couplings are not available, to improve the quality of a global representation of several coupled potential energy surfaces. Our data suggest an alternative interpretation of kinetic energy release measurements near λphot ∼ 248 nm.

Complex multireference configuration interaction calculations for the K-vacancy Auger states of N(q+) (q = 2-5) ions.

K-vacancy Auger states of N(q+) (q = 2-5) ions are studied by using the complex multireference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction (CMRD-CI) method. The calculated resonance parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. It shows that the resonance positions and widths converge quickly with the increase of the atomic basis sets in the CMRD-CI calculations; the standard atomic basis set can be employed to describe the atomic K-vacancy Auger states well. The strong correlations between the valence and core electrons play important roles in accurately determining those resonance parameters, Rydberg electrons contribute negligibly in the calculations. Note that it is the first time that the complex scaling method has been successfully applied for the B-like nitrogen. CMRD-CI is readily extended to treat the resonance states of molecules in the near future.

An experimental and theoretical study of core-valence double ionisation of acetaldehyde (ethanal).

Core-valence double ionisation spectra of acetaldehyde (ethanal) are presented at photon energies above the carbon and oxygen 1s ionisation edges, measured by a versatile multi-electron coincidence spectroscopy technique. We use this molecule as a testbed for analyzing core-valence spectra by means of quantum chemical calculations of transition energies. These theoretical approaches range from two simple models, one based on orbital energies corrected by core valence interaction and one based on the equivalent core approximation, to a systematic series of quantum chemical electronic structure methods of increasing sophistication. The two simple models are found to provide a fast orbital interpretation of the spectra, in particular in the low energy parts, while the coverage of the full spectrum is best fulfilled by correlated models. CASPT2 is the most sophisticated model applied, but considering precision as well as computational costs, the single and double excitation configuration interaction model seems to provide the best option to analyze core-valence double hole spectra.

Theoretical investigations of collisions between highly charged ions and atomic H and He

In the present work, the quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (QMOCC) method and the atomic-orbital close-coupling (AOCC) method have been applied to investigate Solar Wind ions (Neq+ Oq+ Nq+ Cq+) colliding with neutral H and He. The multi-reference single- and double-excitation configuration interaction (MRDCI) approach has been applied to compute the adiabatic potential and nonadiabatic couplings, and important configurations have been selected to obtain potentials of very high excited states. Total and state-selective cross sections have been calculated for a large energy range and compared to available experimental and theoretical data.

Configuration interaction calculations on the cyclic carbon clusters C8, C10, Pt@C8 and Pt@C10 and their anionic forms

Ab initio single plus double excitations configuration interaction calculations in the context of relativistic effective core potentials are reported for C8, C10, Pt@C8 and Pt@C10 clusters in their neutral and ionic forms. The predicted geometries of cyclic C82- and C102- correctly justify double coincidence mass spectra results as compared to linear C82- and C102-. The effects of Pt encapsulation in these clusters are discussed in terms of binding energies and equilibrium geometries. The Pt@C8 and Pt@C10 clusters have binding energies of 1662kJ/mol and 2200kJ/mol, respectively. Binding energies for Pt encapsulation are only favorable for the doubly charged carbon clusters, indicating that stable Pt encapsulation only occurs for the C82- and C102- clusters.

Calculation of chemical reaction rate constants using on-the-fly high level electronic structure computations with account of multidimensional tunneling

The semiclassical instanton approach to the calculation of reaction rate constants at arbitrary temperatures in multiatomic systems is combined with high-level ab initio calculations of reactive potential energy surface (PES). The number of required ab initio calculations weakly depends on system size and allows on-the-fly evaluations of PES with high accuracy. The approach can be efficiently parallelized and provides a practical way of calculating quantum reaction rate constants with account of nuclear quantum effects such as multidimensional tunneling and zero point energies, which are rigorously incorporated in the theory. An algorithm for the search of instanton trajectories is explained. Application of the approach is illustrated for H + H(2) → H(2) + H and D + D(2) → D(2) + D bimolecular reactions in the wide temperature range with on-the-fly evaluation of PES at the ab initio full configuration interaction (FCI), coupled-cluster single double (CCSD), and single and double excitation configuration interaction (CISD) levels.