State Perturbation Theory Research Articles

Solution of the 1d Schrödinger Equation for a Symmetric Well

We suggest a mathematical potential well with spherical symmetry and apply to the 1d Schr\"odinger equation. We use some well-known techniques as Stationary Perturbation Theory and WKB to gain insight into the solutions and compare them to each other. Finally, we solve the 1d Schr\"odinger equation using a numerical approach with the so-called Numerov technique for comparison. It can be a good exercise for undergrad students to grasp the above-cited techniques in a quantum mechanics course.

Ab Initio Wave Function-Based Determination of Element Specific Shifts for the Efficient Calculation of X-ray Absorption Spectra of Main Group Elements and First Row Transition Metals.

In this study, a detailed calibration of the performance of modern ab initio wave function methods in the domain of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is presented. It has been known for some time that for a given level of approximation, for example, using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) in conjunction with a given basis set, there are systematic deviations of the calculated transition energies from their experimental values that depend on the functional, the basis set, and the chosen treatment of scalar relativistic effects. This necessitates a linear correlation for a given element/functional/basis set combination to be established before chemical applications can be performed. This is a laborious undertaking since it involves sourcing trustworthy experimental data, lengthy geometry optimizations, and detailed comparisons between theory and experiment. In this work, reference values for the element-specific shifts of all the first-row transition metal atoms and the main group elements C, N, O, F, Si, P, S, and Cl have been computed by using a protocol that is based on the complete active space configuration interaction in conjunction with second-order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (CASCI/NEVPT2). It is shown that by extrapolating the results to the basis set limit of the method and taking into account scalar relativistic effects via the second-order Douglas-Kroll-Hess (DKH2) corrections, the predicted element shifts are on average less than 0.75 eV across all the absorption edges and a very good agreement between theory and experiment in all the studied XAS cases is observed. The transferability of these errors to molecular systems is thoroughly investigated. The constructed CASCI/NEVPT2 database of element shifts is used to evaluate the performance and to automatically calibrate prior to comparison with the experiment two commonly used methods in X-ray spectroscopy, namely, DFT/Restricted open shell configuration interaction singles (DFT/ROCIS) and TD-DFT methods.

Mechanistic Insights into Photocatalyzed Hydrogen Desorption from Palladium Surfaces Assisted by Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances.

Nanoparticles synthesized from plasmonic metals can absorb low-energy light, producing an oscillation/excitation of their valence electron density that can be utilized in chemical conversions. For example, heterogeneous photocatalysis can be achieved within heterometallic antenna-reactor complexes (HMARCs), by coupling a reactive center at which a chemical reaction occurs to a plasmonic nanoparticle that acts as a light-absorbing antenna. For example, HMARCs composed of aluminum antennae and palladium (Pd) reactive centers have been demonstrated recently to catalyze selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene. Here, we explore within a theoretical framework the rate-limiting step of hydrogen photodesorption from a Pd surface-crucial to achieving partial rather than full hydrogenation of acetylene-to understand the mechanism behind the photodesorption process within the HMARC assembly. To properly describe electronic excited states of the metal-molecule system, we employ embedded complete active space self-consistent field and n-electron valence state perturbation theory to second order within density functional embedding theory. The results of these calculations reveal that the photodesorption mechanism does not create a frequently invoked transient negative ion species but instead enhances population of available excited-state, low-barrier pathways that exhibit negligible charge-transfer character.

CI+MBPT calculations of Ar I energies, g factors, and transition line strengths

Excited states of noble gas atoms present certain challenges to atomic theory for several reasons: first, relativistic effects are important and LS coupling is not optimal; second, energy intervals can be quite small, leading to strong mixing of states; third, many-body perturbation theory for hole states does not converge well. Previously, some attempts were made to solve this problem, using for example the all-order coupled-cluster approach and particle-hole configuration-interaction many-body perturbation theory (CI-MBPT) with modified denominators. However, while these approaches were promising, the accuracy was still limited. In this paper, we calculate Ar I energies, g factors, and transition amplitudes using ab initio CI-MBPT with eight valence electrons to avoid the problem of slow convergence of MBPT due to strong interaction between 3p and 3s states. We also included in CI many dominant states obtained by double excitations of the ground state configuration. Thus perturbation corrections were needed only for 1s, 2s, 2p core electrons non-included in valence-valence CI, which are quite small. We found that energy, g factors, and electric dipole matrix elements are in reasonable agreement with experiments. It is noteworthy that the theory agreed well with accurately measured g factors. Experimental oscillator strengths have large uncertainty, so in some cases we made a comparison with average values.

Effective operators in a single-j orbital

We present an analysis of effective operators in the shell model with up to three-body interactions in the Hamiltonian and two-body terms in electromagnetic transition operators when the nucleons are either neutrons or protons occupying a single-j orbital. We first show that evidence for an effective three-body interaction exists in the N = 50 isotones and in the lead isotopes but that the separate components of such interaction are difficult to obtain empirically. We then determine higher-order terms on more microscopic grounds. The starting point is a realistic two-body interaction in a large shell-model space together with a standard one-body transition operator, which, after restriction to the dominant orbital and with use of stationary perturbation theory, are transformed into effective versions with higher-order terms. An application is presented for the lead isotopes with neutrons in the orbital.

Quantum coherent control of the photoelectron angular distribution in bichromatic-field ionization of atomic neon

We investigate the coherent control of the photo\-electron angular distribution in bichromatic atomic ionization. Neon is selected as target since it is one of the most popular systems in current gas-phase experiments with free-electron lasers (FELSs). In particular, we tackle practical questions, such as the role of the fine-structure splitting, the pulse length, and the intensity. Time-dependent and stationary perturbation theory are employed, and we also solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in a single-active electron model. We consider neon ionized by a FEL pulse whose fundamental frequency is in resonance with either $2p-3s$ or $2p-4s$ excitation. The contribution of the non\-resonant two-photon process and its potential constructive or destructive role for quantum coherent control is investigated.

Analysis of Spatially Doped Fused Silica Fiber Optic by Means of a Hamiltonian Formulation of the Helmholtz Equation

This paper discusses an alternative method for calculating modal parameters in optical fibers such as propagation constants, transverse distributions, and anisotropy, due to linear and nonlinear phenomena acting as perturbations caused by doped silica regions. This method is based on a Hamiltonian formulation of the Helmholtz equation and the stationary perturbation theory, which allows a full‐vectorial description of the electric field components when linear anisotropic inhomogeneities and Kerr nonlinearity are included. Linear and nonlinear parameters can be found for each propagating mode, and its accuracy has been successfully tested when compared to numerical calculations from the vector finite element method, and the results are published in the literature. This method facilitates the calculation of the spatial‐distributed perturbation effects on individual electric field components for each propagating mode.

Explicitly correlated N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2-F12).

In this work, explicitly correlated second order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2-F12) has been derived and implemented for the first time. The NEVPT2-F12 algorithm presented here is based on a fully internally contracted wave function and includes the correction of semi-internal excitation subspaces. The algorithm exploits the resolution of identity (RI) approximation to improve the computational efficiency. The overall O(N5) scaling of the computational effort is documented. In Sec. III, the dissociation processes of diatomic molecules and the singlet-triplet gap of several systems are studied. For all relative energies studied in this work, the errors with respect to the complete basis set (CBS) limit for the NEVPT2-F12 method are within 1 kcal/mol. For moderately sized active spaces, the computational cost of a RI-NEVPT2-F12 correlation energy calculation for each root is comparable to a closed-shell RI-MP2-F12 calculation on the same system.

Multireference Perturbation Theory with Cholesky Decomposition for the Density Matrix Renormalization Group.

We present a second-order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) based on a density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) reference wave function that exploits a Cholesky decomposition of the two-electron repulsion integrals (CD-DMRG-NEVPT2). With a parameter-free multireference perturbation theory approach at hand, the latter allows us to efficiently describe static and dynamic correlation in large molecular systems. We demonstrate the applicability of CD-DMRG-NEVPT2 for spin-state energetics of spin-crossover complexes involving calculations with more than 1000 atomic basis functions. We first assess, in a study of a heme model, the accuracy of the strongly and partially contracted variant of CD-DMRG-NEVPT2 before embarking on resolving a controversy about the spin ground state of a cobalt tropocoronand complex.

Combining Internally Contracted States and Matrix Product States To Perform Multireference Perturbation Theory

We present two efficient and intruder-free methods for treating dynamic correlation on top of general multiconfiguration reference wave functions - including such as obtained by the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) with large active spaces. The new methods are the second order variant of the recently proposed multireference linearized coupled cluster method (MRLCC) [ Sharma, S.; Alavi, A. J. Chem. Phys. 2015 , 143 , 102815 ] and of N-electron valence perturbation theory (NEVPT2), with expected accuracies similar to MRCI+Q and (at least) CASPT2, respectively. Great efficiency gains are realized by representing the first order wave function with a combination of internal contraction (IC) and matrix product state perturbation theory (MPSPT). With this combination, only third order reduced density matrices (RDMs) are required. Thus, we obviate the need for calculating (or estimating) RDMs of fourth or higher order; these had so far posed a severe bottleneck for dynamic correlation treatments involving the large active spaces accessible to DMRG. Using several benchmark systems, including first and second row containing small molecules, Cr2, pentacene, and oxo-Mn(Salen), we show that active spaces containing at least 30 orbitals can be treated using this method. On a single node, MRLCC2 and NEVPT2 calculations can be performed with over 550 and 1100 virtual orbitals, respectively. We also critically examine the errors incurred due to the three sources of errors introduced in the present implementation - calculating second order instead of third order energy corrections, use of internal contraction, and approximations made in the reference wave function due to DMRG.

Adsorbate-Induced Changes in Magnetic Interactions in Fe2(dobdc) with Adsorbed Hydrocarbon Molecules

Metal–organic frameworks, which are a special case of coordination polymers, form a class of materials with numerous applications due to their high porosities and large internal surface areas and in some cases also due to paramagnetic metal ions. A family of such materials of general formula M2(dobdc) (where M is a divalent metal ion, and dobdc4– is 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) has attracted considerable attention for gas separation, catalysis, and magnetism. In this work, we explore the magnetic properties of a member of this family, Fe2(dobdc), both in the activated form (bare MOF after solvent removal) and when hydrocarbons are bound to the open coordination sites of the metal. We report quantum mechanical electronic structure calculations using both cluster models and periodic models, and we compare our results to previously reported theoretical studies. We find that hydrocarbon adsorption only mildly affects the isotropic couplings but that the isotropic magnetic couplings obtained with hybrid exchange–correlation functionals for the cluster models were found to be in good agreement with the experimental values, and the ones obtained using local exchange–correlation functionals with empirical Coulomb and exchange integrals for the periodic models were also found to agree well with experiments. Furthermore, local density functionals with empirical Coulomb and exchange integrals for periodic models are found to give good agreement with the experimental result that the adsorption of ethylene changes the magnetic ordering. We also used second-order n-electron valence state perturbation theory and contracted spin–orbit configuration interaction to study the role of adsorption on the crystal-field splitting of the quintet manifold and on the single-ion anisotropy of the iron center.

Electronic Structures of Anti-Ferromagnetic Tetraradicals: Ab Initio and Semi-Empirical Studies.

The energy relationships and electronic structures of the lowest-lying spin states in several anti-ferromagnetic tetraradical model systems are studied with high-level ab initio and semi-empirical methods. The Full-CI method (FCI), the complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2), and the n-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) are employed to obtain reference results. By comparing the energy relationships predicted from the Heisenberg and Hubbard models with ab initio benchmarks, the accuracy of the widely used Heisenberg model for anti-ferromagnetic spin-coupling in low-spin polyradicals is cautiously tested in this work. It is found that the strength of electron correlation (|U/t|) concerning anti-ferromagnetically coupled radical centers could range widely from strong to moderate correlation regimes and could become another degree of freedom besides the spin multiplicity. Accordingly, the Heisenberg-type model works well in the regime of strong correlation, which reproduces well the energy relationships along with the wave functions of all the spin states. In moderately spin-correlated tetraradicals, the results of the prototype Heisenberg model deviate severely from those of multi-reference electron correlation ab initio methods, while the extended Heisenberg model, containing four-body terms, can introduce reasonable corrections and maintains its accuracy in this condition. In the weak correlation regime, both the prototype Heisenberg model and its extended forms containing higher-order correction terms will encounter difficulties. Meanwhile, the Hubbard model shows balanced accuracy from strong to weak correlation cases and can reproduce qualitatively correct electronic structures, which makes it more suitable for the study of anti-ferromagnetic coupling in polyradical systems.

SparseMaps--A systematic infrastructure for reduced-scaling electronic structure methods. III. Linear-scaling multireference domain-based pair natural orbital N-electron valence perturbation theory.

Multi-reference (MR) electronic structure methods, such as MR configuration interaction or MR perturbation theory, can provide reliable energies and properties for many molecular phenomena like bond breaking, excited states, transition states or magnetic properties of transition metal complexes and clusters. However, owing to their inherent complexity, most MR methods are still too computationally expensive for large systems. Therefore the development of more computationally attractive MR approaches is necessary to enable routine application for large-scale chemical systems. Among the state-of-the-art MR methods, second-order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) is an efficient, size-consistent, and intruder-state-free method. However, there are still two important bottlenecks in practical applications of NEVPT2 to large systems: (a) the high computational cost of NEVPT2 for large molecules, even with moderate active spaces and (b) the prohibitive cost for treating large active spaces. In this work, we address problem (a) by developing a linear scaling "partially contracted" NEVPT2 method. This development uses the idea of domain-based local pair natural orbitals (DLPNOs) to form a highly efficient algorithm. As shown previously in the framework of single-reference methods, the DLPNO concept leads to an enormous reduction in computational effort while at the same time providing high accuracy (approaching 99.9% of the correlation energy), robustness, and black-box character. In the DLPNO approach, the virtual space is spanned by pair natural orbitals that are expanded in terms of projected atomic orbitals in large orbital domains, while the inactive space is spanned by localized orbitals. The active orbitals are left untouched. Our implementation features a highly efficient "electron pair prescreening" that skips the negligible inactive pairs. The surviving pairs are treated using the partially contracted NEVPT2 formalism. A detailed comparison between the partial and strong contraction schemes is made, with conclusions that discourage the strong contraction scheme as a basis for local correlation methods due to its non-invariance with respect to rotations in the inactive and external subspaces. A minimal set of conservatively chosen truncation thresholds controls the accuracy of the method. With the default thresholds, about 99.9% of the canonical partially contracted NEVPT2 correlation energy is recovered while the crossover of the computational cost with the already very efficient canonical method occurs reasonably early; in linear chain type compounds at a chain length of around 80 atoms. Calculations are reported for systems with more than 300 atoms and 5400 basis functions.

N-Electron Valence State Perturbation Theory Based on a Density Matrix Renormalization Group Reference Function, with Applications to the Chromium Dimer and a Trimer Model of Poly(p-Phenylenevinylene).

The strongly contracted variant of second-order N-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) is an efficient perturbative method to treat dynamic correlation without the problems of intruder states or level shifts, while the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) provides the capability to address static correlation in large active spaces. We present a combination of the DMRG and strongly contracted NEVPT2 (DMRG-SC-NEVPT2) that uses an efficient algorithm to compute high-order reduced-density matrices from DMRG wave functions. The capabilities of DMRG-SC-NEVPT2 are demonstrated on calculations of the chromium dimer potential energy curve at the basis set limit, and the excitation energies of a trimer model of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV(n = 3)).

The energy-level crossing behavior and quantum Fisher information in a quantum well with spin-orbit coupling

We study the energy-level crossing behavior in a two-dimensional quantum well with the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings (SOCs). By mapping the SOC Hamiltonian onto an anisotropic Rabi model, we obtain the approximate ground state and its quantum Fisher information (QFI) via performing a unitary transformation. We find that the energy-level crossing can occur in the quantum well system within the available parameters rather than in cavity and circuit quantum eletrodynamics systems. Furthermore, the influence of two kinds of SOCs on the QFI is investigated and an intuitive explanation from the viewpoint of the stationary perturbation theory is given.

Quasi-degenerate perturbation theory using matrix product states.

In this work, we generalize the recently proposed matrix product state perturbation theory (MPSPT) for calculating energies of excited states using quasi-degenerate (QD) perturbation theory. Our formulation uses the Kirtman-Certain-Hirschfelder canonical Van Vleck perturbation theory, which gives Hermitian effective Hamiltonians at each order, and also allows one to make use of Wigner's 2n + 1 rule. Further, our formulation satisfies Granovsky's requirement of model space invariance which is important for obtaining smooth potential energy curves. Thus, when we use MPSPT with the Dyall Hamiltonian, we obtain a model space invariant version of quasi-degenerate n-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT), a property that the usual formulation of QD-NEVPT2 based on a multipartitioning technique lacked. We use our method on the benchmark problems of bond breaking of LiF which shows ionic to covalent curve crossing and the twist around the double bond of ethylene where significant valence-Rydberg mixing occurs in the excited states. In accordance with our previous work, we find that multi-reference linearized coupled cluster theory is more accurate than other multi-reference theories of similar cost.

Orthogonality-constrained Hartree–Fock and perturbation theory for high-spin open-shell excited states

Orthogonality-constrained Hartree–Fock and perturbation theory for high-spin open-shell excited states

Nonlinear optical susceptibilities of semiconductor quantum dot – metal nanoparticle hybrids

We theoretically study nonlinear optical effects of a semiconductor quantum dot and a spherical metal nanoparticle coupled via long-range Coulomb interaction. We solve the relevant density matrix equations in steady state and use proper perturbation theory to obtain closed-form analytical expressions for the nonlinear susceptibilities of the quantum dot, the metal nanoparticle, and the entire coupled system, up to fifth order. We also investigate the influence of the material of the semiconductor and the impact of the interparticle distance on the form of the spectra of the nonlinear susceptibilities.

Relativistic internally contracted multireference electron correlation methods.

We report internally contracted relativistic multireference configuration interaction (ic-MRCI), complete active space second-order perturbation (CASPT2), and strongly contracted n-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) on the basis of the four-component Dirac Hamiltonian, enabling accurate simulations of relativistic, quasi-degenerate electronic structure of molecules containing transition-metal and heavy elements. Our derivation and implementation of ic-MRCI and CASPT2 are based on an automatic code generator that translates second-quantized ansätze to tensor-based equations, and to efficient computer code. NEVPT2 is derived and implemented manually. The rovibrational transition energies and absorption spectra of HI and TlH are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of these methods.

Assessment of multireference perturbation methods for chemical reaction barrier heights.

A few flavors of multireference perturbation theory, two variants of the n-electron valence state perturbation theory and two of the complete active space perturbation theory, are here tested for the calculation of barrier heights for the set of chemical reactions included in the DBH24/08 database, for which very accurate values are available. The comparison of the results obtained with these approaches with those already published for other theoretical models indicates that multireference perturbation theory is a valuable tool for the description of a chemical reaction. Moreover, limiting the comparison to the perturbation theory approaches, one observes that the bad behavior found for single reference methods (such as Møller-Plesset to second and fourth order in the energy) is markedly improved upon moving to the multireference generalizations.