Applicability of nondegenerate many-body perturbation theory to quasi-degenerate electronic states. II. A two-state model

In reply to Kaldor's [Int. J. Quantum Chem. XX, XXX (1985)] criticism of our study of simple four-electron models, in which the degree of quasi-degeneracy can be continuously varied, by the finite-order nondegenerate many-body perturbation theory, we examine in more detail a simple two-state model that the used to substantiate his claim that “the low order sum of the perturbation series is not very meaningful” in view of its divergence. It is shown that in contrast to Kaldor's claim, the partitioning used increases the radius of convergence of the considered perturbation series and is in principle capable to make it convergent. It is also shown that the convergence of the series is not very essential and that even divergent series can provide useful estimate of the exact result, particularly when the resummation techniques, such as Padè approximants or continued fractions, are employed. Finally, the shortcomings of the existing multi-reference perturbation approaches, which Kaldor advocates, are pointed out.     

Generalized Euler transformation in extracting useful information from divergent (asymptotic) perturbation series and the construction of Padé approximants

Euler transformation for accelerating convergence of a series is considered in the context of handling divergent (asymptotically convergent) perturbation series. A generalized (parametrized) version of this transformation is developed, based on the conjecture of Dalgarno and Stewart, which works better. Viewed from this standpoint, the Padé approximants follow as a special case of the parametrized Euler transformation (PET ), as is the case with the μ transformation procedure of Feenberg in a perturbative context. The PET is shown to serve as a more general method of handling a divergent series and is able to appreciate the construction and convergence behavior of specific sequences of Padé approximants. The role of parametrization in the context of the Z^?1 perturbation theory of atoms is also noted and the workability of the adopted strategy is demonstrated by choosing some specific test cases.     

Fifth-order constant denominator perturbation theory within a localized bond model: Contributions from triple and quadruple excitations

The contributions of the triple and quadruple excitations to the fifth-order perturbation energy for the perturbation configuration interaction using localized orbitals (PCILO ) method are derived. This completes the development of a fifth-order constant denominator perturbation theory initiated in a previous paper [5] with the single and double excitations. This theory is tested on molecules containing strained ring geometries, stretched bonds, strongly polarized bonds, and delocalized pi systems: cases where the starting zero order reference wave function poorly describes the system. Although the perturbation expansions turn out to be slowly convergent, the Padé approximant taken from an energy series which itself is constructed from Padé approximants provides results accurate to within a few kilocalories/mole of benchmark calculations. Computational times as in the original PCILO procedure remain proportional to N³, where N is the number of bonds.     

Vibrational–rotational energies of all H2 isotopomers using Monte Carlo methods

Using variational Monte Carlo techniques, we have computed several of the lowest rotational–vibrational energies of all the hydrogen molecule isotopomers (H₂, HD, HT, D₂, DT, and T₂). These calculations do not require the excited states to be explicitly orthogonalized. We have examined both the usual Gaussian wave function form as well as a rapidly convergent Padé form. The high‐quality potential energy surfaces used in these calculations are taken from our earlier work and include the Born–Oppenheimer energy, the diagonal correction to the Born–Oppenheimer approximation, and the lowest‐order relativistic corrections at 24 internuclear points. Our energies are in good agreement with those determined by other methods. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Embedding scaling relations in Padé approximants: Detours to tame divergent perturbation series

A divergent perturbation series is known to yield very unreliable results for observables even at moderate coupling strengths. One of the most popular techniques in handling such series is to express them as rational functions, but it is often faithful only for small coupling. We outline here how one can gain considerable advantages in the large‐coupling regime by properly embedding known asymptotic scaling relations for selected observables during construction of the aforesaid Padé approximants. Three new bypass routes are explored in this context. The first approach involves a weighted geometric mean of two neighboring PA. The second idea is to consider series for specific ratios of observables. The third strategy is to express observables as functionals of the total energy in the form of series expansions. Symanzik's scaling relation, and the virial and Hellmann–Feynman theorems, are used at appropriate places to aid each of the strategies. Pilot calculations on the ground‐state perturbation series of certain observables for the quartic anharmonic oscillator problem reveal readily the benefit and novelty. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Accurate estimates of asymptotic indices via fractional calculus

We devise a three-parameter random search strategy to obtain accurate estimates of the large-coupling amplitude and exponent of an observable from its divergent Taylor expansion, known to some desired order. The endeavor exploits the power of fractional calculus, aided by an auxiliary series and subsequent construction of Padé approximants. Pilot calculations on the ground-state energy perturbation series of the octic anharmonic oscillator reveal the spectacular performance.     

Convergence property of multireference many-body perturbation theory analyzed by the use of a norm of effective Hamiltonian

Summary It is proposed to use a norm of anth order effective Hamiltonian, for analyzing the convergence property of the multireference many-body perturbation theory (MR-MBPT). The utilization of the norm allows us to employ only (1) asingle number for all the states that we are interested in, and (2) values which decreases from thepositive side to zero as the ordern of the perturbation increases. This characteristic features are in contrast to those in the usually used scheme whereseveral numbers, namely, the eigenvalues of the target states, should be used and they mayoscillate around exact eigenvalues. The present method has been applied to MR-MBPT calculations of the (H₂)₂, CH₂, and LiH molecules based on the multireference versions of Rayleigh-Schrödinger PT, Kirtman-Certain-Hirschfelder PT, and the canonical Van Vleck PT; and following features are found: (1) the above three versions of the perturbation theories have essentially the same convergence property judged from the lowering of the norm; (2) the lower order truncation of the perturbation series gives reasonable solutions; (3) the norm decreases irrespective of the perturbation expansion being convergent or divergent for the first several orders (up to about the sixth order).     

Estimation of eigenvalues using padé approximants. Stark effect for a model system

The perturbation series for a one-dimensional model system in a static electric field is obtained and shown to be divergent. Padé approximants to the series are calculated and found to converge, and to provide a good estimation of the Stark eigenvalue.     

Electron correlation effects in the 4f14 shell

This paper serves a twofold purpose. First, Löwdin's inner projection in both nonperturbative and perturbative forms is applied to the quartic anharmonic oscillator. Inner projection with perturbation theory yields rational approximations to Brillouin–Wigner-type perturbation expansions. These lower bounds are compared with [N ? 1, N] Padé approximants to the Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation series for this problem. These Padés are also expressible as the even convergents, w_2N, of a Stieltjes-type continued fraction. The latter representation has certain advantages with respect to its Padé counterpart. Inner projection without perturbation theory provides significantly better results than the perturbative version. The application of inner projection techniques to a perturbed hydrogen atom is not straightforward. The usual problems associated with the continuum spectrum of hydrogen are present. By means of a nonunitary “tilting” transformation associated with the Lie group SO(4, 2), these problems may be bypassed. In the SO(4, 2)-reformulated eigenvalue problem, a reinterpretation of the basic variables, as developed by Silverstone and Moats, yields a new Hamiltonian that permits direct use of the inner projection method. This method has been applied to the ground state of the hydrogen atom in a magnetic field, using both four- and eight-dimensional basis manifolds. This represents the first application of inner projection to this problem.     

Comparison of high-order many-body perturbation theory and configuration interaction for H2O

Diagrammatic many-body perturbation theory, coupled with a recursive computational procedure, is employed to obtain the correlation energy of H₂O within a 39-STO basis set by evaluating all double-excitation diagrams through twelfth order without any approximations. This provides, for the first time, the complete double-excitation diagrams contributions to the correlation energy, which is ?0.28826 hartree, compared with a correlation energy of ?0.27402 hartree obtained from a configuration interaction calculation which includes all double excitations. The difference of 0.0142 hartree includes the “size consistency” correction to the all-double-excitations CI energy, due to the “pathological” unliked-diagram terms remaining in that result, but also involves certain fourth- and higher-order rearrangement diagrams. Contrary to conventional belief, the unshifted, or Møller-Plesset partitioning of the hamiltonian provides a much more rapid convergence of the perturbation series that does the shifted, or Epstein-Nesbet partitioning. In both cases. Padé approximants enhance the convergence of the series considerably. A simple variation-perturbation scheme based on the first-order MBPT wavefunction is sufficient to provide 97.5% of the all-doubles CI correlation energy.     

Scaling,renormalisation and accuracy of perturbation calculations

For certain eigenvalue problems which lead to divergent Rayleigh—Schrödinger perturbation series, energy estimates of acceptable accuracy may be obtained easily in first order by optimising a variational scale factor. Some simple calculations on the quartic anharmonic oscillator and on the quadratic Zeeman effect show errors which are generally quite small over a very wide range of perturbation parameter values.     

Resolvent technique and Padé approximants in configuration interaction calculations

A perturbation approach based on resolvent technique and Padé approximants is proposed. The eigenvalue of interest is part of a solution of two nonlinear algebraic equations. The nonlinear equations are arrived at by considering two different expression of the expectation value of the resolvent of an outer projection of the Hamiltonian. The first expression is based on the spectral resolution of the resolvent, and the second one is obtained by a power series expansion analogous to that applied in the derivation of the energy expression in the Brillouin–Wigner perturbation theory. The truncated power series is extrapolated by Padé approximants of type II. The method is tested on a CI calculation of the energy of the lowest ¹Σ state of the B₂ molecule.     

Synergism of spectra averaging and extrapolation for quantification of in vivo MRS time signals encoded from the ovary

The fast Padé transform (FPT) is further optimized for encoded in vivo MRS time signals. This is achieved by a judicious combination of spectra averaging and time signal extrapolation. The motivation is in strengthening suppression of the over-sensitivity of signal processing to changes in model order K. Implementation is carried out in the FPT variant \(\hbox {FPT}^{(+)}\) which, by numerically performed analytical continuation, converts divergent into convergent series. Convergence of reconstructions is monitored for a sequence of successive values of K. Comparison is made with the corresponding retrieval without spectra averaging and time signal extrapolation. Variances are dramatically reduced for the reconstructed parameters (complex frequencies and complex amplitudes) when spectra averaging and extrapolation are performed. Negligible variances imply convergence, which is accomplished herein using a single averaging procedure (no iterations). This has important implications in practice with encoded MRS data, providing remarkable efficiency, robustness and accuracy of Padé-based quantification. Algorithmically, spectra averaging and time signal extrapolation consist of four steps. First, the encoded time signal is used to compute total shape spectra (envelopes) for a sequence of model orders K, which is the number of resonances. Second, these envelopes are averaged (spectra averaging). All the spectra are computed at the same sweep frequencies whose number considerably exceeds the number of data points in the encoded time signal. Third, the complex average envelope is inverted to yield a new time signal which is longer than the encoded data (time signal extrapolation). Fourth, the Padé extrapolated time signal is quantified for a sequence of K to monitor convergence of the reconstructed parameters. All four steps are applied to in vivo MRS data encoded on a 3 T scanner from a borderline serous cystic ovarian tumor. We focus on this clinical problem to help develop effective methods for early detection of ovarian cancer, in order to improve survival for women afflicted with this malignancy. It is anticipated that the presently refined, multi-purpose Padé-based methodology with its practical advantages for in vivo MRS can contribute to this goal.     

Dynamic dipole polarizabilities of the ground and excited states of confined hydrogen atom computed by means of a mapped Fourier grid method

Accurate theoretical estimates of static and dynamic dipole polarizabilities are reported for the ground and excited states of hydrogen atom confined at the center of a spherical “box” with impenetrable walls using a novel theoretical algorithm that combines the variational–perturbation approach with an appropriately adapted mapped Fourier grid method and uniformly maintains the numerical accuracy. A variation of computed polarizabilities is observed as a function of the number of grid points. However, rapid convergence to their correct values, even far into the anomalous dispersion region, is achieved by an extrapolation procedure to the limit of an infinitely large number of grid points using a small number of the lowest‐order Padé approximants. It is shown that dipole polarizabilities strongly depend upon the electronic state and the radius of confinement. In particular, the static polarizability of 2s state changes sign under strong confinement. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Free‐energy differences between states with different conformational ensembles

Multiple conformations separated by high‐energy barriers represent a challenging problem in free‐energy calculations due to the difficulties in achieving adequate sampling. We present an application of thermodynamic integration (TI) in conjunction with the local elevation umbrella sampling (LE/US) method to improve convergence in alchemical free‐energy calculations. TI‐LE/US was applied to the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to 8‐Br‐GTP perturbation, molecules that present high‐energy barriers between the anti and syn states and that have inverted preferences for those states. The convergence and reliability of TI‐LE/US was assessed by comparing with previous results using the enhanced‐sampling one‐step perturbation (OSP) method. A linear interpolation of the end‐state biasing potentials was sufficient to dramatically improve sampling along the chosen reaction coordinate. Conformational free‐energy differences were also computed for the syn and anti states and compared to experimental and theoretical results. Additionally, a coupled OSP with LE/US was carried out, allowing the calculation of conformational and alchemical free energies of GTP and 8‐substituted GTP analogs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Intruder state avoidance multireference Møller-Plesset perturbation theory

A new perturbation approach is proposed that enhances the low‐order, perturbative convergence by modifying the zeroth‐order Hamiltonian in a manner that enlarges any small‐energy denominators that may otherwise appear in the perturbative expansion. This intruder state avoidance (ISA) method can be used in conjunction with any perturbative approach, but is most applicable to cases where small energy denominators arise from orthogonal‐space states—so‐called intruder states—that should, under normal circumstances, make a negligible contribution to the target state of interests. This ISA method is used with multireference Møller–Plesset (MRMP) perturbation theory on potential energy curves that are otherwise plagued by singularities when treated with (conventional) MRMP; calculation are performed on the 1³Σ state of O₂; and the 2¹Δ, 3¹Δ, 2³Δ, and 3³Δ states of AgH. This approach is also applied to other calculations where MRMP is influenced by intruder states; calculations are performed on the ³Π_u state of N₂, the ³Π state of CO, and the 2¹A′ state of formamide. A number of calculations are also performed to illustrate that this approach has little or no effect on MRMP when intruder states are not present in perturbative calculations; vertical excitation energies are computed for the low‐lying states of N₂, C₂, CO, formamide, and benzene; the adiabatic ¹A₁–³B₁ energy separation in CH₂, and the spectroscopic parameters of O₂ are also calculated. Vertical excitation energies are also performed on the Q and B bands states of free‐base, chlorin, and zinc–chlorin porphyrin, where somewhat larger couplings exists, and—as anticipated—a larger deviation is found between MRMP and ISA‐MRMP. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 10: 957–965, 2002     

Padé algorithm for the computation of static and dynamic second-order properties by large-scale CI expansion

By introducing a finite basis, the inhomogeneous equations of perturbation theory are approximated by systems of linear equations. We present and discuss a Padé-type algorithm suitable for large-order systems and having better convergence properties than the classical Jacobi procedure.     

Free‐energy calculations of residue mutations in a tripeptide using various methods to overcome inefficient sampling

Previous free‐energy calculations have shown that the seemingly simple transformation of the tripeptide KXK to KGK in water holds some unobvious challenges concerning the convergence of the forward and backward thermodynamic integration processes (i.e., hysteresis). In the current study, the central residue X was either alanine, serine, glutamic acid, lysine, phenylalanine, or tyrosine. Interestingly, the transformation from alanine to glycine yielded the highest hysteresis in relation to the extent of the chemical change of the side chain. The reason for that could be attributed to poor sampling of φ₂/ψ₂ dihedral angles along the transformation. Altering the nature of alanine's C_β atom drastically improved the sampling and at the same time led to the identification of high energy barriers as cause for it. Consequently, simple strategies to overcome these barriers are to increase simulation time (computationally expensive) or to use enhanced sampling techniques such as Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics and one‐step perturbation. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Algebraic modifications to second quantization for non‐Hermitian complex scaled hamiltonians with application to a quadratically convergent multiconfigurational self‐consistent field method

The algebraic structure for creation and annihilation operators defined on orthogonal orbitals is generalized to permit easy development of bound‐state techniques involving the use of non‐Hermitian Hamiltonians arising from the use of complex‐scaling or complex‐absorbing potentials in the treatment of electron scattering resonances. These extensions are made possible by an orthogonal transformation of complex biorthogonal orbitals and states as opposed to the customary unitary transformation of real orthogonal orbitals and states and preserve all other formal and numerical simplicities of existing bound‐state methods. The ease of application is demonstrated by deriving the modified equations for implementation of a quadratically convergent multiconfigurational self‐consistent field (MCSCF) method for complex‐scaled Hamiltonians but the generalizations are equally applicable for the extension of other techniques such as single and multireference coupled cluster (CC) and many‐body perturbation theory (MBPT) methods for their use in the treatment of resonances. This extends the domain of applicability of MCSCF, CC, MBPT, and methods based on MCSCF states to an accurate treatment of resonances while still using L² real basis sets. Modification of all other bound‐state methods and codes should be similarly straightforward. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005