Density functional theory and post-Hartree-Fock studies on molecular structure and harmonic vibrational spectrum of formaldehyde

Density functional theory (DFT) with the Becke's three-parameter exchange correlation functional and the functional of Lee, Yang and Parr, gradient-corrected functionals of Perdew, and Perdew and Wang [the DFT(B3LYP), DFT(B3P86) and DFT(B3PW91) methods, respectively], and several levels of conventional ab initio post-Hartree-Fock theory (second- and fourth-order perturbation theory M?ller-Plesset MP2 and MP4(SDTQ), coupled cluster with the single and double excitations (CCSD), and CCSD with perturbative triple excitation [CCSD(T)], configuration interaction with the single and double excitations [CISD], and quadratic configuration interaction method [QCISD(T)], using several basis sets [ranging from a simple 6-31G(d,p) basis set to a 6-311+ +G(3df, 2pd) one], were applied to study of the molecular structure (geometrical parameters, rotational constants, dipole moment) and harmonized infrared (IR) spectrum of formaldehyde (CH₂O). High-level ab initio methods CCSD(T) and QCISD(T) with the 6-311+ +G(3df, 2pd) predict correctly molecular parameters, vibrational harmonic wavenumbers and the shifts of the harmonic IR spectrum of ¹²CH₂ ¹⁶O upon isotopic substitution. Received: 30 January 1997 / Accepted: 7 May 1997     

Development and applications of a unitary group adapted state specific multi-reference coupled cluster theory with internally contracted treatment of inactive double excitations

Any multi-reference coupled cluster (MRCC) development based on the Jeziorski-Monkhorst (JM) multi-exponential ansatz for the wave-operator Ω suffers from spin-contamination problem for non-singlet states. We have very recently proposed a spin-free unitary group adapted (UGA) analogue of the JM ansatz, where the cluster operators are defined in terms of spin-free unitary generators and a normal ordered, rather than ordinary, exponential parametrization of Ω is used. A consequence of the latter choice is the emergence of the "direct?term" of the MRCC equations that terminates at exactly the quartic power of the cluster amplitudes. Our UGA-MRCC ansatz has been utilized to generate both the spin-free state specific (SS) and the state universal MRCC formalisms. It is well-known that the SSMRCC theory requires suitable sufficiency conditions to resolve the redundancy of the cluster amplitudes. In this paper, we propose an alternative variant of the UGA-SSMRCC theory, where the sufficiency conditions are used for all cluster operators containing active orbitals and the single excitations with inactive orbitals, while the inactive double excitations are assumed to be independent of the model functions they act upon. The working equations for the inactive double excitations are thus derived in an internally contracted (IC) manner in the sense that the matrix elements entering the MRCC equations involve excitations from an entire combination of the model functions. We call this theory as UGA-ICID-MRCC, where ICID is the acronym for "Internally Contracted treatment of Inactive Double excitations." Since the number of such excitations are the most numerous, choosing them to be independent of the model functions will lead to very significant reduction in the number of cluster amplitudes for large active spaces, and is worth exploring. Moreover, unlike for the excitations involving active orbitals, where there is inadequate coupling between the model and the virtual functions in the SSMRCC equations generated from sufficiency conditions, our internally contracted treatment of inactive double excitations involves much more complete couplings. Numerical implementation of our formalism amply demonstrates the efficacy of the formalism.     

Automated generation of coupled-cluster diagrams: implementation in the multireference state-specific coupled-cluster approach with the complete-active-space reference

An algorithm for generation of the spin-orbital diagrammatic representation, the corresponding algebraical formulas, and the computer code of the coupled-cluster (CC) method with an arbitrary level of the electronic excitations has been developed. The method was implemented in the general case as well as for specific application in the state-specific multireference coupled-cluster theory (SSMRCC) based on the concept of a "formal reference state." The algorithm was tested in SSMRCC calculations describing dissociation of a single bond and in calculations describing simultaneous dissociation of two single bonds--the problem requiring up to six-particle excitations in the CC operator.     

Coupled-cluster vibrational frequencies for open, ring and superoxide sulfur dioxide

The harmonic vibrational frequencies of the open, ring and superoxide isomers of sulfur dioxide are predicted with the coupled-cluster including all single and double excitations (CCSD) and coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative connected triples [CCSD(T)] methods. The reliability of the results is discussed and comparisons are made to the recent observations of the matrix-isolated SOO molecule reported by Chen, Lee and Lee. Received: 3 December 1996 / Accepted: 17 January 1997     

A comparative assessment of the perturbative and renormalized coupled cluster theories with a noniterative treatment of triple excitations for thermochemical kinetics, including a study of basis set and core correlation effects

The CCSD, CCSD(T), and CR-CC(2,3) coupled cluster methods, combined with five triple-zeta basis sets, namely, MG3S, aug-cc-pVTZ, aug-cc-pV(T+d)Z, aug-cc-pCVTZ, and aug-cc-pCV(T+d)Z, are tested against the DBH24 database of diverse reaction barrier heights. The calculations confirm that the inclusion of connected triple excitations is essential to achieving high accuracy for thermochemical kinetics. They show that various noniterative ways of incorporating connected triple excitations in coupled cluster theory, including the CCSD(T) approach, the full CR-CC(2,3) method, and approximate variants of CR-CC(2,3) similar to the triples corrections of the CCSD(2) approaches, are all about equally accurate for describing the effects of connected triply excited clusters in studies of activation barriers. The effect of freezing core electrons on the results of the CCSD, CCSD(T), and CR-CC(2,3) calculations for barrier heights is also examined. It is demonstrated that to include core correlation most reliably, a basis set including functions that correlate the core and that can treat core-valence correlation is required. On the other hand, the frozen-core approximation using valence-optimized basis sets that lead to relatively small computational costs of CCSD(T) and CR-CC(2,3) calculations can achieve almost as high accuracy as the analogous fully correlated calculations.     

Perturbative treatment of triple excitations in internally contracted multireference coupled cluster theory

Internally contracted multireference coupled cluster (ic-MRCC) methods with perturbative treatment of triple excitations are formulated based on Dyall's definition of a zeroth-order Hamiltonian. The iterative models ic-MRCCSDT-1, ic-MRCC3, and their variants ic-MRCCSD(T), ic-MRCC(3) which determine the energy correction from triples by a non-iterative step are consistent in the single-reference limit with CCSDT-1a, CC3, CCSD(T), and CC(3), respectively. Numerical tests on the potential energy surfaces of BeH(2), H(2)O, and N(2) as well as on the structure and harmonic vibrational frequencies of the ozone molecule show that these methods account very well for higher order correlation effects. The ic-MRCCSD(T) method is further applied to the geometry optimization and harmonic frequencies of the symmetric vibrational modes of the binuclear transition metal oxide Ni(2)O(2), to the singlet-triplet splittings of o-, m-, and p-benzyne and to a ring-opening reaction of an azirine compound with the molecular formula C(6)H(7)NO. The size of the active spaces used in this study ranges from CAS(2,2) to CAS(8,8). Comparisons of results based on differently sized active spaces indicate that the ic-MRCCSD(T) method provides a highly accurate and efficient treatment of both static and dynamic electron correlation in connection with minimal active spaces.     

Ab initio calculations for the potential curves and spin–orbit coupling of Mg2

 The ground state and several low-lying excited states of the Mg₂ dimer have been studied by means of a combination of the complete-active-space multiconfiguration self-consistent-field (CASSCF)/CAS multireference second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) method and coupled-cluster with single and double excitations and perturbative contribution of connected triple excitations [CCSD(T)] scheme. Reasonably good agreement with experiment has been obtained for the CCSD(T) ground-state potential curve but the dissociation energy of the only experimentally known A¹Σ _u ⁺ excited state of Mg₂ is somewhat overestimated at the CASSCF/CASPT2 level. The spectroscopic constants D _e, R _e and ω_e deduced from the calculated potential curves for other states are also reported. In addition, some spin–orbit matrix elements between the excited singlet and triplet states of Mg₂ have been evaluated as a function of internuclear separation. Received: 10 May 2001 / Accepted: 15 August 2001 / Published online: 30 October 2001     

Testing the parametric two-electron reduced-density-matrix method with improved functionals: application to the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to oxywater

Parametrization of the two-electron reduced density matrix (2-RDM) has recently enabled the direct calculation of electronic energies and 2-RDMs at the computational cost of configuration interaction with single and double excitations. While the original Kollmar energy functional yields energies slightly better than those from coupled cluster with single-double excitations, a general family of energy functionals has recently been developed whose energies approach those from coupled cluster with triple excitations [D. A. Mazziotti, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 253002 (2008)]. In this paper we test the parametric 2-RDM method with one of these improved functionals through its application to the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to oxywater. Previous work has predicted the barrier from oxywater to hydrogen peroxide with zero-point energy correction to be 3.3-to-3.9 kcal/mol from coupled cluster with perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)] and -2.3 kcal/mol from complete active-space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) in augmented polarized triple-zeta basis sets. Using a larger basis set than previously employed for this reaction-an augmented polarized quadruple-zeta basis set (aug-cc-pVQZ)-with extrapolation to the complete basis-set limit, we examined the barrier with two parametric 2-RDM methods and three coupled cluster methods. In the basis-set limit the M parametric 2-RDM method predicts an activation energy of 2.1 kcal/mol while the CCSD(T) barrier becomes 4.2 kcal/mol. The dissociation energy of hydrogen peroxide to hydroxyl radicals is also compared to the activation energy for oxywater formation. We report energies, optimal geometries, dipole moments, and natural occupation numbers. Computed 2-RDMs nearly satisfy necessary N-representability conditions.     

Nature and importance of three-body interactions in the (H2O)2HCl trimer

 The nature and importance of nonadditive three-body interactions in the (H₂O)₂HCl cluster have been studied by the supermolecule coupled-cluster method and by symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). The convergence of the SAPT expansion was tested by comparison with the results obtained from the supermolecule coupled-cluster calculations including single, double, and noniterative triple excitations [CCSD(T)]. It is shown that the SAPT results reproduce the converged CCSD(T) results within 3% at worst. The SAPT method has been used to analyze the three-body interactions for various geometries of the (H₂O)₂HCl cluster. It is shown that the induction nonadditivity is dominant, but it is partly quenched by the first-order Heitler–London-type exchange and higher-order exchange–induction/deformation terms. This implies that the classical induction term alone is not a reliable approximation to the nonadditive energy and that it will be difficult to approximate the three-body potential for (H₂O)₂HCl by a simple analytical expression. The three-body energy represents as much as 21–27% of the pair CCSD(T) intermolecular energy. Received: 15 September 1999 / Accepted: 3 February 2000 / Published online: 2 May 2000     

pCCSD: parameterized coupled-cluster theory with single and double excitations

The primary characteristics of single reference coupled-cluster (CC) theory are size-extensivity and size-consistency, invariance under orbital rotations of the occupied or virtual space, the exactness of CC theory for N electron systems when the cluster operator is truncated to N-tuple excitations, and the relative insensitivity of CC theory to the choice of the reference determinant. In this work, we propose a continuous class of methods which display the desirable features of the coupled-cluster approach with single and double excitations (CCSD). These methods are closely related to the CCSD method itself and are inspired by the coupled electron pair approximation (CEPA). It is demonstrated that one can systematically improve upon CCSD and obtain geometries, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and total energies from a parameterized version of CCSD or pCCSD(α,β) by selecting a specific member from this continuous family of approaches. In particular, one finds that one such approach, the pCCSD(-1,1) method, is a significant improvement over CCSD for the calculation of equilibrium structures and harmonic frequencies. Moreover, this method behaves surprisingly well in the calculation of potential energy surfaces for single bond dissociation. It appears that this methodology has significant promise for chemical applications and may be particularly useful in applications to larger molecules within the framework of a high accuracy local correlation approach.     

New coupled cluster approaches based on the unrestricted Hartree-Fock reference for treating molecules with multireference character

Here we review the basic formalism, implementation details, and performance of two newly developed coupled cluster (CC) methods based on the unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF) reference for treating molecules with multireference character. These two approaches can be considered to be approximations to the CC singles, doubles, and triples (CCSDT) method. The key concept of these two approaches is the corresponding orbitals, which are unitary transformations of canonical UHF molecular orbitals so that all spin orbitals are grouped into unique orbital pairs. In one approach called CCSDT(5P), a subset of triple excitations involving up to five-pair indices is included. In another approach called CCSD(T)-h, the contribution of connected triple excitations is treated in a hybrid way. With the concept of active corresponding orbitals, triple excitations can be automatically partitioned into two subsets, and the amplitudes of these two subsets are determined via solving different equations. Both CCSD(T)-h and CCSDT(5P) computationally scale as the seventh power of the system size. A survey of a number of applications demonstrates that CCSD(T)-h is an excellent approximation to the full CCSDT method, and CCSDT(5P) provides a good approximation to CCSDT for single-bond breaking processes. The overall performance of CCSDT(5P) is less accurate than that of CCSD(T)-h, but significantly better than that of the widely used CCSD(T).     

Coupled-cluster methods including noniterative corrections for quadruple excitations

A new method is presented for treating the effects of quadruple excitations in coupled-cluster theory. In the approach, quadruple excitation contributions are computed from a formula based on a non-Hermitian perturbation theory analogous to that used previously to justify the usual noniterative triples correction used in the coupled cluster singles and doubles method with a perturbative treatment of the triple excitations (CCSD(T)). The method discussed in this paper plays a parallel role in improving energies obtained with the full coupled-cluster singles, doubles, and triples method (CCSDT) by adding a perturbative treatment of the quadruple excitations (CCSDT(Q)). The method is tested for an extensive set of examples, and is shown to provide total energies that compare favorably with those obtained with the full singles, doubles, triples, and quadruples (CCSDTQ) method.     

A spin-adapted size-extensive state-specific multi-reference perturbation theory. I. Formal developments

We present in this paper a comprehensive formulation of a spin-adapted size-extensive state-specific multi-reference second-order perturbation theory (SA-SSMRPT2) as a tool for applications to molecular states of arbitrary complexity and generality. The perturbative theory emerges in the development as a result of a physically appealing quasi-linearization of a rigorously size-extensive state-specific multi-reference coupled cluster (SSMRCC) formalism [U. S. Mahapatra, B. Datta, and D. Mukherjee, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 6171 (1999)]. The formulation is intruder-free as long as the state-energy is energetically well-separated from the virtual functions. SA-SSMRPT2 works with a complete active space (CAS), and treats each of the model space functions on the same footing. This thus has the twin advantages of being capable of handling varying degrees of quasi-degeneracy and of ensuring size-extensivity. This strategy is attractive in terms of the applicability to bigger systems. A very desirable property of the parent SSMRCC theory is the explicit maintenance of size-extensivity under a variety of approximations of the working equations. We show how to generate both the Rayleigh-Schro?dinger (RS) and the Brillouin-Wigner (BW) versions of SA-SSMRPT2. Unlike the traditional naive formulations, both the RS and the BW variants are manifestly size-extensive and both share the avoidance of intruders in the same manner as the parent SSMRCC. We discuss the various features of the RS as well as the BW version using several partitioning strategies of the hamiltonian. Unlike the other CAS based MRPTs, the SA-SSMRPT2 is intrinsically flexible in the sense that it is constructed in a manner that it can relax the coefficients of the reference function, or keep the coefficients frozen if we so desire. We delineate the issues pertaining to the spin-adaptation of the working equations of the SA-SSMRPT2, starting from SSMRCC, which would allow us to incorporate essentially any type open-shell configuration-state functions (CSF) within the CAS. The formalisms presented here will be applied extensively in a companion paper to assess their efficacy.     

Spin-Adapted restricted Hartree–Fock reference coupled-cluster theory for open-shell systems: Noniterative triples for noncanonical orbitals

The coupled clusters singles and doubles (CCSD ) method for calculations of open-shell systems with the single restricted Hartree–Fock (ROHF ) reference determinant is extended by the noniterative triples to give CCSD(T) . Our approach profits from the fact that (a) single- and double-excitation amplitudes are spin-adapted, which directly leads to a computationally less demanding algorithm than are nonadapted procedures and produces the spin-adapted CCSD wave function and (b) triple excitations calculated from converged spin-adapted (SA ) CCSD amplitudes are also obtained more effectively. Altogether, computer demands of our SA CCSD(T) approach, applicable to high-spin open-shell cases which are well represented by a single-determinant reference is comparable to that for closed-shell systems. Our approach is not based on semicanonical orbitals, applied by Bartlett's group. However, we compare some other possible choices of ROHF orbitals to this “standard.” Numerical results for a series of atoms and molecules demonstrate little sensitivity to this selection. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An extended multireference study of the electronic states of para-benzyne

A state-averaged, multireference complete active space (CAS) approach was used for the determination of the vertical excitation energies of valence and Rydberg states of para-benzyne. Orbitals were generated with a 10- and 32-state averaged multiconfigurational self-consistent field approach. Electron correlation was included using multireference configuration interaction with singles and doubles, including the Pople correction for size extensivity, multireference averaged quadratic coupled cluster (MR-AQCC), and MR-AQCC based on linear response theory. There is a very high density of electronic states in this diradical system-there are more than 17 states within 7 eV of the ground state including two 3s Rydberg states. All excitations, except 2 (1)A(g), are from the pi system to the sigmasigma(*) system. Of the 32 states characterized, 15 were multiconfigurational, including the ground (1)A(g) state, providing further evidence for the necessity of a multireference approach for p-benzyne. The vertical singlet-triplet splitting was also characterized using a two-state averaged approach. A CAS(2,2) calculation was shown to be inadequate due to interaction with the pi orbitals.     

Toward subchemical accuracy in computational thermochemistry: focal point analysis of the heat of formation of NCO and [H,N,C,O] isomers

In continuing pursuit of thermochemical accuracy to the level of 0.1 kcal mol(-1), the heats of formation of NCO, HNCO, HOCN, HCNO, and HONC have been rigorously determined using state-of-the-art ab initio electronic structure theory, including conventional coupled cluster methods [coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD), CCSD with perturbative triples (CCSD(T)), and full coupled cluster through triple excitations (CCSDT)] with large basis sets, conjoined in cases with explicitly correlated MP2-R12/A computations. Limits of valence and all-electron correlation energies were extrapolated via focal point analysis using correlation consistent basis sets of the form cc-pVXZ (X=2-6) and cc-pCVXZ (X=2-5), respectively. In order to reach subchemical accuracy targets, core correlation, spin-orbit coupling, special relativity, the diagonal Born-Oppenheimer correction, and anharmonicity in zero-point vibrational energies were accounted for. Various coupled cluster schemes for partially including connected quadruple excitations were also explored, although none of these approaches gave reliable improvements over CCSDT theory. Based on numerous, independent thermochemical paths, each designed to balance residual ab initio errors, our final proposals are DeltaH(f,0) ( composite function )(NCO)=+30.5, DeltaH(f,0) ( composite function )(HNCO)=-27.6, DeltaH(f,0) ( composite function )(HOCN)=-3.1, DeltaH(f,0) ( composite function )(HCNO)=+40.9, and DeltaH(f,0) ( composite function )(HONC)=+56.3 kcal mol(-1). The internal consistency and convergence behavior of the data suggests accuracies of +/-0.2 kcal mol(-1) in these predictions, except perhaps in the HCNO case. However, the possibility of somewhat larger systematic errors cannot be excluded, and the need for CCSDTQ [full coupled cluster through quadruple excitations] computations to eliminate remaining uncertainties is apparent.     

Comparison of single and double excitation coupled cluster and configuration interaction theories: determination of structure and equilibrium propertie

Using our recently implemented closed-shell coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) model, the equilibrium structure and vibrational harmonic frequency of N₂, CO, HF and OH⁻ have been determined. This set ofdiatomics was specially chosen so as to represent the range of bonding characteristics found in small molecules. The CCSD results are compared to analogous configuration interaction (CI) predictions and are found to be most similar to CISDQ or CISDTQ. That is, CI including all singles + doubles + quadruples (CISDQ) or CISDQ+all triple excitations (CISDTQ). The agreement of CCSD with CISDQ/CISDTQ is found to be much better for the singly bonded species with the agreement for neutral HF somewhat better than for anionic OH⁻. We arrive at two major conclusions. First, higher-order effects not present in the CCSD model are less negligible for multiply bonded species and, to a smaller degree, for anionic species as well. Secondly, even for the two types of molecules discussed above, the CCSD results are closer to the CISDQ/CISDTQ predictions than are CISD values. Since CCSD is less computationally time consuming than CISDQ/CISDTQ, we suggest that the CCSD model is one of the best methods available when highly accurate ab initio predictions for chemical species strongly dominated by a single-determinant wavefunction are desired.     

High-order excitations in state-universal and state-specific multireference coupled cluster theories: model systems

For the first time high-order excitations (n>2) have been studied in three multireference couple cluster (MRCC) theories built on the wave operator formalism: (1) the state-universal (SU) method of Jeziorski and Monkhorst (JM) (2) the state-specific Brillouin-Wigner (BW) coupled cluster method, and (3) the state-specific MRCC approach of Mukherjee (Mk). For the H4, P4, BeH(2), and H8 models, multireference coupled cluster wave functions, with complete excitations ranging from doubles to hextuples, have been computed with a new arbitrary-order string-based code. Comparison is then made to corresponding single-reference coupled cluster and full configuration interaction (FCI) results. For the ground states the BW and Mk methods are found, in general, to provide more accurate results than the SU approach at all levels of truncation of the cluster operator. The inclusion of connected triple excitations reduces the nonparallelism error in singles and doubles MRCC energies by a factor of 2-10. In the BeH(2) and H8 models, the inclusion of all quadruple excitations yields absolute energies within 1 kcal mol(-1) of the FCI limit. While the MRCC methods are very effective in multireference regions of the potential energy surfaces, they are outperformed by single-reference CC when one electronic configuration dominates.