Zeroth-order Wave Function Research Articles

Coupling properties of subjects in a three-body interaction system with an intermediary entity and symmetrical participants on both sides

This paper studies the phenomenon of light-excited entanglement between nucleon spins, which is realized by using a transient light beam to excite the spin of electrons to produce entanglement between the two nucleon spins. This standard three-body interaction system is composed of an intermedium equivalent to a spin-1 quasiparticle and two spin-1/2 nucleons. We describe the entire system, its corresponding effective Hamiltonian, and the eigenvalues and eigenstates. The Hamiltonian is analyzed under the symmetric assumption, which can significantly simplify the effective Hamiltonian and make obtaining the corresponding dynamic characteristics easier. In the calculation process, degenerate perturbation theory calculates the eigenequation, whose degeneracy is not eliminated to a first approximation. We calculate the eigenequation to the second order to obtain an accurate zero-order wave function.

Vibronic mean-field and perturbation theory for Jahn-Teller and pseudo-Jahn-Teller molecules

A generalisation of vibrational mean-field theory is developed for non-adiabatic Jahn-Teller and pseudo-Jahn-Teller molecules with coupled vibrational and electronic degrees of freedom treated within a quasi-diabatic framework. Solutions to the vibronic self-consistent field equations of motion generate qualitatively correct zeroth-order vibronic wavefunctions even in the strong coupling limit. These serve as an efficient basis for further perturbative or variational corrections. Particular attention is paid to complications arising in multi-mode Jahn-Teller systems, where the degenerate ground state exhibits artificial symmetry-breaking in the mean-field approximation. This effect is shown to behave like a second-order phase transition, with the symmetry of finite-temperature mean-field solutions restored above a critical temperature.

Spin-Coupled Generalized Valence Bond Theory: New Perspectives on the Electronic Structure of Molecules and Chemical Bonds

Spin-Coupled Generalized Valence Bond (SCGVB) theory provides the foundation for a comprehensive theory of the electronic structure of molecules. SCGVB theory offers a compelling orbital description of the electronic structure of molecules as well as an efficient and effective zero-order wave function for calculations striving for quantitative predictions of molecular structures, energetics, and other properties. The orbitals in the SCGVB wave function are usually semilocalized, and for most molecules, they can be interpreted using concepts familiar to all chemists (hybrid orbitals, localized bond pairs, lone pairs, etc.). SCGVB theory also provides new perspectives on the nature of the bonds in molecules such as C2, Be2 and SF4/SF6. SCGVB theory contributes unparalleled insights into the underlying cause of the first-row anomaly in inorganic chemistry as well as the electronic structure of organic molecules and the electronic mechanisms of organic reactions. The SCGVB wave function accounts for nondynamical correlation effects and, thus, corrects the most serious deficiency in molecular orbital (RHF) wave functions. Dynamical correlation effects, which are critical for quantitative predictions, can be taken into account using the SCGVB wave function as the zero-order wave function for multireference configuration interaction or coupled cluster calculations.

What Types of Chemical Problems Benefit from Density-Corrected DFT? A Probe Using an Extensive and Chemically Diverse Test Suite.

For the large and chemically diverse GMTKN55 benchmark suite, we have studied the performance of density-corrected density functional theory (HF-DFT), compared to self-consistent DFT, for several pure and hybrid GGA and meta-GGA exchange–correlation (XC) functionals (PBE, BLYP, TPSS, and SCAN) as a function of the percentage of HF exchange in the hybrid. The D4 empirical dispersion correction has been added throughout. For subsets dominated by dynamical correlation, HF-DFT is highly beneficial, particularly at low HF exchange percentages. This is especially true for noncovalent interactions where the electrostatic component is dominant, such as hydrogen and halogen bonds: for π-stacking, HF-DFT is detrimental. For subsets with significant nondynamical correlation (i.e., where a Hartree–Fock determinant is not a good zero-order wavefunction), HF-DFT may do more harm than good. While the self-consistent series show optima at or near 37.5% (i.e., 3/8) for all four XC functionals—consistent with Grimme’s proposal of the PBE38 functional—HF-BnLYP-D4, HF-PBEn-D4, and HF-TPSSn-D4 all exhibit minima nearer 25% (i.e., 1/4) as the use of HF orbitals greatly mitigates the error at 25% for barrier heights. Intriguingly, for HF-SCANn-D4, the minimum is near 10%, but the weighted mean absolute error (WTMAD2) for GMTKN55 is only barely lower than that for HF-SCAN-D4 (i.e., where the post-HF step is a pure meta-GGA). The latter becomes an attractive option, only slightly more costly than pure Hartree–Fock, and devoid of adjustable parameters other than the three in the dispersion correction. Moreover, its WTMAD2 is only surpassed by the highly empirical M06-2X and by the combinatorially optimized empirical range-separated hybrids ωB97X-V and ωB97M-V.

On the role of symmetry in XDW-CASPT2.

Herewith, we propose two new exponents for the recently introduced XDW-CASPT2 method [S. Battaglia and R. Lindh, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 16, 1555-1567 (2020)], which fix one of the largest issues hindering this approach. By using the first-order effective Hamiltonian coupling elements, the weighting scheme implicitly takes into account the symmetry of the states, thereby averaging Fock operators only if the zeroth-order wave functions interact with each other. The use of Hamiltonian couplings also provides a physically sounder approach to quantitate the relative weights; however, it introduces new difficulties when these rapidly die off to zero. The improved XDW-CASPT2 method is critically tested on several systems of photochemical relevance, and it is shown that it succeeds in its original intent of maintaining MS-CASPT2 accuracy for the evaluation of transition energies and at the same time providing smooth potential energy surfaces around near-degenerate points akin to XMS-CASPT2.

A simple molecular orbital picture of RIXS distilled from many-body damped response theory.

Ab initio calculations of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) often rely on damped response theory, which prevents the divergence of response solutions in the resonant regime. Within the damped response theory formalism, RIXS moments are expressed as the sum over all electronic states of the system [sum-over-states (SOS) expressions]. By invoking resonance arguments, this expression can be reduced to a few terms, an approximation commonly exploited for the interpretation of computed cross sections. We present an alternative approach: a rigorous formalism for deriving a simple molecular orbital picture of the RIXS process from many-body calculations using the damped response theory. In practical implementations, the SOS expressions of RIXS moments are recast in terms of matrix elements between the zero-order wave functions and first-order frequency-dependent response wave functions of the initial and final states such that the RIXS moments can be evaluated using complex response one-particle transition density matrices (1PTDMs). Visualization of these 1PTDMs connects the RIXS process with the changes in electronic density. We demonstrate that the real and imaginary components of the response 1PTDMs can be interpreted as contributions of the undamped off-resonance and damped near-resonance SOS terms, respectively. By analyzing these 1PTDMs in terms of natural transition orbitals, we derive a rigorous, black-box mapping of the RIXS process into a molecular orbital picture. We illustrate the utility of the new tool by analyzing RIXS transitions in the OH radical, benzene, para-nitroaniline, and 4-amino-4'-nitrostilbene. These examples highlight the significance of both the near-resonance and off-resonance channels.

The nature of the chemical bond and the role of non-dynamical and dynamical correlation in Be2.

In the spin-coupled generalized valence bond (SCGVB) description of Be2, there is a pair of electrons in highly overlapping "inner" orbitals corresponding to a traditional σ bond, but this bond is compromised by Pauli repulsion arising from its overlap with a second "outer" pair. The presence of this outer pair of electrons leads to a repulsive potential energy curve at long range and a bound, but metastable molecule at short range. To obtain further insights into the nature of the bond in Be2, we determined the non-dynamical and dynamical correlation contributions to the potential energy curve of Be2 using four different choices for the zero-order wave function: Restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF), SCGVB, valence-CASSCF(4,4), and valence-CASSCF(4,8). The SCGVB and valence-CASSCF(4,4) wave functions yield similar breakdowns of the total correlation energy, with non-dynamical correlation being the more important contribution. For the RHF and valence-CASSCF(4,8) wave functions, dynamical correlation is critical, without which the potential energy curve is purely repulsive. High accuracy calculations on the HBen-1Be-BeBen-1H molecule as a function of n (n = 1-6) suggest that the intrinsic strength of a Be-Be σ bond uncompromised by Pauli repulsion is on the order of 62-63 kcal/mol, and its length is 2.13-2.14 Å, ∼60 kcal/mol stronger and ∼0.35 Å shorter than in Be2.

Structural properties and isomerisation of simple S-nitrosothiols: ab initio studies with a simplified treatment of correlation effects

Despite the enormous biological significance, the structure-stability relationship in S-Nitrosothiols (RSNOs) that govern their activity in vivo is not well understood. We provide useful structural properties (bond length, vibrational frequency, dissociation energy, and interconversion barrier) of the -SNO group in RSNOs ( and ) using the recently suggested computationally cost-ffective multireference ab initio method which includes electron correlation effects by means of the perturbation theory using a multiconfigurational zero-order wave function. A sizable rotation barrier of cis-trans RSNO interconversion imply a partial S-N double-bond like nature. The low stretching frequency, elongated length, and small dissociation energy indicate that this bond is relatively weak and labile. Although the study of S– bond in RSNOs is a challenging case even for the current generation computational approaches, IVO-SSMRPT method (having several appealing features) employed here is competent to reproduce the structure and stability of RSNO isomers in close agreement with the reference high-level estimates.

Accurate all-electron calculation on the vibrational and rotational spectra of ground states for O2 and its ions**Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0403300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 91750104, 11574114, and 11874177), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province, China (Grant No. 20160101332JC).

The potential energy curves, spectroscopic constants, and low-lying vibration–rotation levels of ground-state O2 and its cation and anion were calculated with the explicitly correlated multireference configuration interaction method. The zeroth-order reference wavefunction was treated with the complete active space multiconfigurational self-consistent field method, in which the active space was carefully selected, and an additional molecular orbital was added into the full valence active space. The electron correlation of the 1s core in the oxygen atom was considered in the computations. The Davidson correction on molecular energy was considered to account for higher electron excitation. The relativistic effects, including the scalar relativistic effect and spin–orbit coupling, were considered in the computation of potential energy curves. These physical effects on the spectroscopic constants were examined. The low-lying levels of vibration–rotation spectra of O2 and its ions were determined based on the computed potential energy curves. Comparisons with available experiments were made and excellent agreement was obtained for the vibrational and rotational parameters. The spectroscopic constants and vibration–rotation spectrum of , which is sparse in experiments, were provided. Our study will shed some light on further theoretical and experimental studies on these simple but important molecular systems.

A Perturbative Density Matrix Renormalization Group Algorithm for Large Active Spaces.

We describe a low cost alternative to the standard variational DMRG (density matrix renormalization group) algorithm that is analogous to the combination of the selected configuration interaction plus perturbation theory (SCI+PT). We denote the resulting method p-DMRG (perturbative DMRG) to distinguish it from the standard variational DMRG. p-DMRG is expected to be useful for systems with very large active spaces, for which variational DMRG becomes too expensive. Similar to SCI+PT, in p-DMRG, a zeroth-order wave function is first obtained by a standard DMRG calculation but with a small bond dimension. Then, the residual correlation is recovered by a second-order perturbative treatment. We discuss the choice of partitioning for perturbation theory, which is crucial for its accuracy and robustness. To circumvent the problem of a large bond dimension in the first-order wave function, we use a sum of matrix product states to expand the first-order wave function, yielding substantial savings in computational cost and memory. We also propose extrapolation schemes to reduce the errors in the zeroth- and first-order wave functions. Numerical results for Cr2 with a (28e, 76o) active space and 1,3-butadiene with an (22e, 82o) active space reveal that p-DMRG provides ground state energies of a similar quality to variational DMRG with very large bond dimensions but at a significantly lower computational cost. This suggests that p-DMRG will be an efficient tool for benchmark studies in the future.

Development of spin-orbit coupling for stochastic configuration interaction techniques.

To perform spin-orbit coupling calculations on atoms and molecules, good zeroth-order wavefunctions are necessary. Here, we present the software development of the Monte Carlo Configuration Interaction (MCCI) method, to enable calculation of such properties, where MCCI iteratively constructs a multireference wavefunction using a stochastic procedure. In this initial work, we aim to establish the efficacy of this technique in predicting the splitting of otherwise degenerate energy levels on a range of atoms and small diatomic molecules. It is hoped that this work will subsequently act as a gateway toward using this method to investigate singlet-triplet interactions in larger multireference molecules. We show that MCCI can generate very good results using highly compact wavefunctions compared to other techniques, with no prior knowledge of important orbitals. Higher-order relativistic effects are neglected and spin-orbit coupling effects are incorporated using first-order degenerate perturbation theory with the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian and effective nuclear charges in the one-electron operator. Results are obtained and presented for B, C, O, F, Si, S, and Cl atoms and OH, CN, NO, and C2 diatomic radicals including spin-orbit coupling constants and the relative splitting of the lowest energy degenerate state for each species. Convergence of MCCI to the full configuration interaction result is demonstrated on the multireference problem of stretched OH. We also present results from the singlet-triplet interaction between the X3Σg- and both the a1Δg and b1Σg+ states of the O2 molecule. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stochastic multi-reference perturbation theory with application to the linearized coupled cluster method

In this article we report a stochastic evaluation of the recently proposed multireference linearized coupled cluster theory [S. Sharma and A. Alavi, J. Chem. Phys. 143, 102815 (2015)]. In this method, both the zeroth-order and first-order wavefunctions are sampled stochastically by propagating simultaneously two populations of signed walkers. The sampling of the zeroth-order wavefunction follows a set of stochastic processes identical to the one used in the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) method. To sample the first-order wavefunction, the usual FCIQMC algorithm is augmented with a source term that spawns walkers in the sampled first-order wavefunction from the zeroth-order wavefunction. The second-order energy is also computed stochastically but requires no additional overhead outside of the added cost of sampling the first-order wavefunction. This fully stochastic method opens up the possibility of simultaneously treating large active spaces to account for static correlation and recovering the dynamical correlation using perturbation theory. The method is used to study a few benchmark systems including the carbon dimer and aromatic molecules. We have computed the singlet-triplet gaps of benzene and m-xylylene. For m-xylylene, which has proved difficult for standard complete active space self consistent field theory with perturbative correction, we find the singlet-triplet gap to be in good agreement with the experimental values.

Quasi-Restricted Orbital Treatment for the Density Functional Theory Calculations of the Spin-Orbit Term of Zero-Field Splitting Tensors.

A quasi-restricted orbital (QRO) approach for the calculation of the spin-orbit term of zero-field splitting tensors (DSO tensors) by means of density functional theory (DFT) importantly features in the fact that it is free from spin contamination problems because it uses spin eigenfunctions for the zeroth order wave functions. In 2011, however, Schmitt and co-workers pointed out that in the originally proposed QRO working equation some possible excitations were not included in their sum-over-states procedure, which causes spurious DSO contributions from closed-shell subsystems located far from the magnetic molecule under study. We have revisited the derivation of the QRO working equation and modified it, making it include all possible types of excitations in the sum-over-states procedure. We have found that the spurious DSO contribution can be eliminated by taking into account contributions from all possible types of singly excited configuration state functions. We have also found that only the SOMO(α) → SOMO(β) excited configurations have nonzero contributions to the DSO tensors as long as α and β spin orbitals have the same spatial distributions and orbital energies. For the DSO tensor calculations, by using a ground state wave function free from spin contamination, we propose a natural orbital-based Pederson-Khanna (NOB-PK) method, which utilizes the single determinant wave function consisting of natural orbitals in conjunction with the Pederson-Khanna (PK) type perturbation treatment. Some relevant calculations revealed that the NOB-PK method can afford more accurate DSO tensors than the conventional PK method as well as the QRO approach in MnII complexes and ReIV-based single molecule magnets.

Intramolecular symmetry-adapted perturbation theory with a single-determinant wavefunction.

We introduce an intramolecular energy decomposition scheme for analyzing non-covalent interactions within molecules in the spirit of symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). The proposed intra-SAPT approach is based upon the Chemical Hamiltonian of Mayer [Int. J. Quantum Chem. 23(2), 341-363 (1983)] and the recently introduced zeroth-order wavefunction [J. F. Gonthier and C. Corminboeuf, J. Chem. Phys. 140(15), 154107 (2014)]. The scheme decomposes the interaction energy between weakly bound fragments located within the same molecule into physically meaningful components, i.e., electrostatic-exchange, induction, and dispersion. Here, we discuss the key steps of the approach and demonstrate that a single-determinant wavefunction can already deliver a detailed and insightful description of a wide range of intramolecular non-covalent phenomena such as hydrogen bonds, dihydrogen contacts, and π - π stacking interactions. Intra-SAPT is also used to shed the light on competing intra- and intermolecular interactions.

Spin-orbit couplings within the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster framework: Theory, implementation, and benchmark calculations.

We present a formalism and an implementation for calculating spin-orbit couplings (SOCs) within the EOM-CCSD (equation-of-motion coupled-cluster with single and double substitutions) approach. The following variants of EOM-CCSD are considered: EOM-CCSD for excitation energies (EOM-EE-CCSD), EOM-CCSD with spin-flip (EOM-SF-CCSD), EOM-CCSD for ionization potentials (EOM-IP-CCSD) and electron attachment (EOM-EA-CCSD). We employ a perturbative approach in which the SOCs are computed as matrix elements of the respective part of the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian using zeroth-order non-relativistic wave functions. We follow the expectation-value approach rather than the response-theory formulation for property calculations. Both the full two-electron treatment and the mean-field approximation (a partial account of the two-electron contributions) have been implemented and benchmarked using several small molecules containing elements up to the fourth row of the periodic table. The benchmark results show the excellent performance of the perturbative treatment and the mean-field approximation. When used with an appropriate basis set, the errors with respect to experiment are below 5% for the considered examples. The findings regarding basis-set requirements are in agreement with previous studies. The impact of different correlation treatment in zeroth-order wave functions is analyzed. Overall, the EOM-IP-CCSD, EOM-EA-CCSD, EOM-EE-CCSD, and EOM-SF-CCSD wave functions yield SOCs that agree well with each other (and with the experimental values when available). Using an EOM-CCSD approach that provides a more balanced description of the target states yields more accurate results.

Communication: Practical intramolecular symmetry adapted perturbation theory via Hartree-Fock embedding.

We develop a simple methodology for the computation of symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) interaction energy contributions for intramolecular noncovalent interactions. In this approach, the local occupied orbitals of the total Hartree-Fock (HF) wavefunction are used to partition the fully interacting system into three chemically identifiable units: the noncovalent fragments A and B and a covalent linker C. Once these units are identified, the noninteracting HF wavefunctions of the fragments A and B are separately optimized while embedded in the HF wavefunction of C, providing the dressed zeroth order wavefunctions for A and B in the presence of C. Standard two-body SAPT (particularly SAPT0) is then applied between the relaxed wavefunctions for A and B. This intramolecular SAPT procedure is found to be remarkably straightforward and efficient, as evidenced by example applications ranging from diols to hexaphenyl-ethane derivatives.

Density Relaxation in Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory: Combining Relaxed Density Natural Orbitals and Multireference Perturbation Theories for an Improved Description of Excited States.

Making use of the recently developed excited state charge displacement analysis [E. Ronca et al., J. Chem. Phys. 140, 054110 (2014)], suited to quantitatively characterize the charge fluxes coming along an electronic excitation, we investigate the role of the density relaxation effects in the overall description of electronically excited states of different nature, namely, valence, ionic, and charge transfer (CT), considering a large set of prototypical small and medium-sized molecular systems. By comparing the response densities provided by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the corresponding relaxed densities obtained by applying the Z-vector postlinear-response approach [N. C. Handy and H. F. Schaefer, J. Chem. Phys. 81, 5031 (1984)] with those obtained by highly correlated state-of-the-art wave function calculations, we show that the inclusion of the relaxation effects is imperative to get an accurate description of the considered excited states. We also examine what happens at the quality of the response function when an increasing amount of Hartree-Fock (HF) exchange is included in the functional, showing that the usually improved excitation energies in the case of CT states are not always the consequence of an improved description of their overall properties. Remarkably, we find that the relaxation of the response densities is always able to reproduce, independently of the extent of HF exchange in the functional, the benchmark wave function densities. Finally, we propose a novel and computationally convenient strategy, based on the use of the natural orbitals derived from the relaxed TDDFT density to build zero-order wave function for multireference perturbation theory calculations. For a significant set of different excited states, the proposed approach provided accurate excitation energies, comparable to those obtained by computationally demanding ab initio calculations.

Some useful odds and ends from the n-electron valence state perturbation theory.

The n-electron valence state perturbation theory makes use of zero-order wave functions whose energies are endowed with a direct physical interest, describing various processes occurring in the active space (removal/addition of one or two electrons, electronic excitations). It is shown that the zero-order energies related to the process of removal of an electron from the active space provide a reasonable and cheap approximation to the vertical ionization potentials. The zero-order energies referring to the process of an electronic excitation within the active space can also provide a first approximation to electronic transition energies, provided that a careful choice of the active molecular orbitals is performed. Test calculations have been carried out on the molecules N2 and H2CO.

Exploration of zeroth-order wavefunctions and energies as a first step toward intramolecular symmetry-adapted perturbation theory

Non-covalent interactions occur between and within all molecules and have a profound impact on structural and electronic phenomena in chemistry, biology, and material science. Understanding the nature of inter- and intramolecular interactions is essential not only for establishing the relation between structure and properties, but also for facilitating the rational design of molecules with targeted properties. These objectives have motivated the development of theoretical schemes decomposing intermolecular interactions into physically meaningful terms. Among the various existing energy decomposition schemes, Symmetry-Adapted Perturbation Theory (SAPT) is one of the most successful as it naturally decomposes the interaction energy into physical and intuitive terms. Unfortunately, analogous approaches for intramolecular energies are theoretically highly challenging and virtually nonexistent. Here, we introduce a zeroth-order wavefunction and energy, which represent the first step toward the development of an intramolecular variant of the SAPT formalism. The proposed energy expression is based on the Chemical Hamiltonian Approach (CHA), which relies upon an asymmetric interpretation of the electronic integrals. The orbitals are optimized with a non-hermitian Fock matrix based on two variants: one using orbitals strictly localized on individual fragments and the other using canonical (delocalized) orbitals. The zeroth-order wavefunction and energy expression are validated on a series of prototypical systems. The computed intramolecular interaction energies demonstrate that our approach combining the CHA with strictly localized orbitals achieves reasonable interaction energies and basis set dependence in addition to producing intuitive energy trends. Our zeroth-order wavefunction is the primary step fundamental to the derivation of any perturbation theory correction, which has the potential to truly transform our understanding and quantification of non-bonded intramolecular interactions.

Electronic excitation spectra of molecules in solution calculated using the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction method in the polarizable continuum model with perturbative approach

A perturbative approximation of the state specific polarizable continuum model (PCM) symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method is proposed for efficient calculations of the electronic excitations and absorption spectra of molecules in solutions. This first-order PCM SAC-CI method considers the solvent effects on the energies of excited states up to the first-order with using the zeroth-order wavefunctions. This method can avoid the costly iterative procedure of the self-consistent reaction field calculations. The first-order PCM SAC-CI calculations well reproduce the results obtained by the iterative method for various types of excitations of molecules in polar and nonpolar solvents. The first-order contribution is significant for the excitation energies. The results obtained by the zeroth-order PCM SAC-CI, which considers the fixed ground-state reaction field for the excited-state calculations, are deviated from the results by the iterative method about 0.1 eV, and the zeroth-order PCM SAC-CI cannot predict even the direction of solvent shifts in n-hexane for many cases. The first-order PCM SAC-CI is applied to studying the solvatochromisms of (2,2(')-bipyridine)tetracarbonyltungsten [W(CO)4(bpy), bpy = 2,2(')-bipyridine] and bis(pentacarbonyltungsten)pyrazine [(OC)5W(pyz)W(CO)5, pyz = pyrazine]. The SAC-CI calculations reveal the detailed character of the excited states and the mechanisms of solvent shifts. The energies of metal to ligand charge transfer states are significantly sensitive to solvents. The first-order PCM SAC-CI well reproduces the observed absorption spectra of the tungsten carbonyl complexes in several solvents.