Variational Monte Carlo calculations for some cations and anions of the first‐row atoms using explicitly correlated wave functions

The variational Monte Carlo method is applied to calculate ground‐state energies of some cations and anions of the first‐row atoms. Accurate values providing between 80 and 90% of the correlation energy are obtained. Explicitly correlated wave functions including up to 42 variational parameters are used. The nondynamic correlation due to the 2s ? 2p near degeneracy effect is included by using a multideterminant wave function. The variational free parameters have been fixed by minimizing the energy that has shown to be a more convenient functional than the variance of the local energy, which is the most commonly employed method in variational Monte Carlo calculations. The energies obtained improve previous works using similar wave functions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.; DOI 10.1002/qua.10125     

Energies of the first row atoms from quantum Monte Carlo

All-electron variational and diffusion quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the ground state energies of the first row atoms (from Li to Ne) are reported. The authors use trial wave functions of four types: single-determinant Slater-Jastrow wave functions, multideterminant Slater-Jastrow wave functions, single-determinant Slater-Jastrow wave functions with backflow transformations, and multideterminant Slater-Jastrow wave functions with backflow transformations. At the diffusion quantum Monte Carlo level and using their multideterminant Slater-Jastrow wave functions with backflow transformations, they recover 99% or more of the correlation energies for Li, Be, B, C, N, and Ne, 97% for O, and 98% for F.     

Dissociative double ionization of CO2: dynamics, energy levels, and lifetime

In a kinematically complete experiment on the dissociative double ionization of CO2 by electron impact, spontaneous and metastable decay have been observed via the channel CO2(2+) --> CO+ + O+. The metastable decay shows a lifetime of 5.8 +/- 1.5 micros. The measured kinetic energy release spectrum of the dissociation shows one broad peak. To understand the observed features, ab initio potential energy surface (PES) for the ground electronic state of CO2(2+) was computed using a multireference configuration interaction method and a correlation-consistent polarized-valence quadruple-zeta basis set, for a range of internuclear distances and O-C-O bond angles, and an analytic fit of the PES was obtained. The computed PES clearly indicates the metastability of the dication and yields a barrier height and an asymptotic limit in fair agreement with the reported data. A time-dependent quantum mechanical approach was used to compute the ground vibrational state wave function of CO2 in its ground electronic state. Assuming a Franck-Condon transition, the same function was taken to be the initial wave function at time t = 0 for the time evolution on the fitted PES for the ground electronic state of CO2(2+). The autocorrelation function was computed and Fourier transformed to obtain the excitation spectrum. Upon convolution with the instrument resolution function, the kinetic energy release spectrum was obtained, in good agreement with the experimental results, particularly at lower energies. The discrepancies at higher energies are attributed to the noninclusion of the excited states of CO2(2+) in the dynamical study.     

On the electronically excited states of uracil

Vertical excitation energies in uracil in the gas phase and in water solution are investigated by the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster and multireference configuration interaction methods. Basis set effects are found to be important for converged results. The analysis of electronic wave functions reveals that the lowest singlet states are predominantly of a singly excited character and are therefore well described by single-reference equation-of-motion methods augmented by a perturbative triples correction to account for dynamical correlation.Our best estimates for the vertical excitation energies for the lowest singlet n --> pi* and pi --> pi* are 5.0 +/- 0.1 eV and 5.3 +/- 0.1 eV, respectively. The solvent effects for these states are estimated to be +0.5 eV and +/- 0.1 eV, respectively. We attribute the difference between the computed vertical excitations and the maximum of the experimental absorption to strong vibronic interaction between the lowest A" and A' states leading to intensity borrowing by the forbidden transition.     

Quantum‐Chemical Study of Chelate Ring Cleavage in Some Alkaline and Alkaline Earth β‐diketonates

This paper reports a theoretical study of chelate ring cleavage in the ground and electronically excited states of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and beryllium malonodialdehynates in the ab initio approximation including configuration interaction. As shown by calculations, electron excitation mostly lowers the energy barriers to rotation and the metallocycle cleavage energies. The modeling of chelate ring cleavage revealed a change in the composition of the wave function of the excited states of the complexes. In addition to analysis of the composition of wave functions, the paper discusses changes in the energies of the highest orbitals of the compounds. For magnesium malonodialdehynate, the theoretical ionization potentials are compared with experimental values.     

Ab initio investigation of the autoionization process Ar*(4s3P2, 3P0)+Hg --> (Ar-Hg)+ + e-: potential energy curves and autoionization widths, ionization cross sections, and electron energy spectra

Multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations have been performed for the Ar*(4s3P2,0) + Hg collision complex. Feshbach projection based on orbital occupancy defines the entrance channel resonance states and provides their potential energy curves as well as resonance-continuum coupling matrix elements, which are turned into an autoionization width function by Stieltjes imaging. Coupled cluster calculations with singles, doubles, and pertubative triples [CCSD(T)] give the exit channel potential of ArHg+. The Hg20+ core is treated by a scalar-relativistic effective core potential, reparametrized to reproduce experimental excitation and ionization energies. Spin-orbit interaction is included for the Ar* open 3p shell. The nuclear motion is treated within the local complex potential approximation. Ionization occurs for 85% (3P0) and 98% (3P2) of the symmetry allowed close collisions. Calculated ionization cross sections show good agreement with experimental data. The difference potential of the collision complex is remarkably flat down to internuclear separations of 8a0 and leads to very sharp peaks in theoretical electron energy spectra for single collision energies. After accounting for the experimental energy distribution and the resolution function of the spectrometer, a very satisfying agreement with experimental electron energy spectra is found, including subtle differences due to spin-orbit coupling. Theoretical input appears indispensable for an analysis of the measured data in terms of potential energy curves and autoionization width functions.     

Ab initio study of low-lying electronic states of SnCl2+

Complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF), multireference configuration interaction (MRCI), and restricted-spin coupled-cluster singles-doubles with perturbative triples [RCCSD(T)] calculations have been carried out on low-lying doublet and quartet states of SnCl2+, employing basis sets of up to aug-cc-pV5Z quality. Effects of core correlation and off-diagonal spin-orbit interaction on computed vertical ionization energies were investigated. The best theoretical estimate of the adiabatic ionization energy (including zero-point vibrational energy correction) to the X2A1 state of SnCl2+ is 10.093+/-0.010 eV. The first photoelectron band of SnCl2 has also been simulated by employing RCCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV5Z potential energy functions and including Duschinsky rotation and anharmonicity.     

Full configuration interaction calculation of the low lying valence and Rydberg states of BeH

The all-electron full configuration interaction (FCI) vertical excitation energies for some low lying valence and Rydberg excited states of BeH are presented in this article. A basis set of valence atomic natural orbitals has been augmented with a series of Rydberg orbitals that have been generated as centered onto the Be atom. The resulting basis set can be described as 4s2p1d/2s1p (Be/H) + 4s4p3d. It allows to calculate Rydberg states up to n= {3,4,5} of the s, p, and d series of Rydberg states. The FCI vertical ionization potential for the same basis set and geometry amounts to 8.298 eV. Other properties such as FCI electric dipole and quadrupole moments and FCI transition dipole and quadrupole moments have also been calculated. The results provide a set of benchmark values for energies, wave functions, properties, and transition properties for the five electron BeH molecule. Most of the states have large multiconfigurational character in spite of their essentially single excited nature and a number of them present an important Rydberg-valence mixing that is achieved through the mixed nature of the particle MO of the single excitations.     

Low-lying electronic excitations and optical absorption spectra of the black dye sensitizer: a first-principles study

We report on ab-initio calculations of the electronic structure and optical absorption response of the black dye sensitizer in gas phase. We show that, despite the large size of this molecule, the second-order multiconfiguration quasi-degenerate perturbation theory (MC-QDPT) can be used to calculate vertical excitation energies, oscillator strengths and optical absorption spectra. The zeroth-order reference states entering perturbation calculations are complete active space (CAS) configuration interaction (CI) wave functions computed for 12 active electrons distributed in 12 active orbitals. We found that the CI approach is not enough for taking into account the strong dynamical correlation effects in this system. In fact, the excitation energies of the CAS-CI target states are strongly renormalized by the MC-QDPT calculations. In the calculated absorption spectra, the analysis of the perturbed wavefunctions revealed that the stronger absorption bands correspond to metal-to-ligand and ligand-to-ligand charge transfer processes. Comparison with independent time-dependent extension (TDDFT) calculations performed with different functionals shows that corrections to the long-range behavior of the functional is pivotal to achieve agreement with the MC-QDPT results.     

Jastrow correlated and quantum Monte Carlo calculations for the low-lying states of the carbon atom

Different computational methods are employed to calculate excitation energies of the carbon atom. Explicitly correlated wave functions have been obtained in a Variational Monte Carlo calculation. Fixed node Diffusion Monte Carlo calculations for the lowest energy excited states of a given symmetry are reported. A systematic and quantitative analysis of the performance of the different schemes in the calculation of the excitation energy of up to 27 excited states of the carbon atom is carried out. The quality of the different methods have been studied in terms of the deviation with respect to the experimental excitation energies. A good agreement with the experimental values has been reached.     

The electronic states of 1,2,3-triazole studied by vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and a comparison with ab initio configuration interaction methods

The Rydberg states in the vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption spectrum of 1,2,3-triazole have been measured and analyzed with the aid of comparison to the UV valence photoelectron ionizations and the results of ab initio configuration interaction (CI) calculations. Calculated electronic ionization and excitation energies for singlet, triplet valence, and Rydberg states were obtained using multireference multiroot CI procedures with an aug-cc-pVTZ [5s3p3d1f] basis set and a set of Rydberg [4s3p3d3f] functions. Adiabatic excitation energies obtained for several electronic states using coupled-cluster (singles, doubles, and triples) and complete active space self-consistent field procedures agree well with experimental values. Variations in bond lengths with the electronic state are discussed. The lowest energy UV band (～5.5-6.5 eV) is assigned to three electronically excited states and demonstrates the occurrence of a nonplanar upper state on the low energy side. A UV photoelectron spectrum with an improved resolution yielded adiabatic and vertical ionization energies and reorganization energies for several of the lowest cationic states. As well as excitations to the s, p, d-Rydberg states are the excitations consistent with an f-series.     

Radical ions and radicals in electron-irradiated acrylates and N-isopropylacrylamide: a quantum chemical study

The semiempirical quantum chemical methods MNDO, AM1 and PM3 were used to investigate the performance of the single excited configuration interaction (SCI) approximation for calculating low energy excitation energies of open-shell systems. Systematic calculations were done for eight radicals formed by reactions of H√, OH√ and e⁻_aq with various acrylates and N-isopropylacrylamide. The calculated electronic spectra show a reasonable correlation with experimental data for both neutral radicals and radical ions. The AM1 as well as the PM3 formalism can be successfully applied to calculate the low energy excited states of these types of open shell systems. The best correlation between experimental and calculated excitation energies was obtained using the PM3 method (correlation coefficient 0.96, overall average error 0.16 eV).     

Time-dependent Wave Packet Quantum Scattering Study of Reaction S(3P)+H2→HS+H on a New ab initio Potential Energy Surface 3A'

A new potential energy surface is presented for the triplet state ³A' of the chemical reaction S(³P)+H₂ from a set of accurate ab initio data. The single point energies are computed using highly correlated complete active space self-consistent-field and multi-reference config-uration interaction wave functions with a basis set of aug-cc-pV5Z. We have fitted the full set of energy values using many-body expansion method with an Aguado-Paniagua function. Based on the new potential energy surface, we carry out the time-dependent wave packet scattering calculations over the collision energy range of 0.8～2.2 eV. Both the centrifugal-sudden approximation and Coriolis Coupling cross sections are obtained. In addition, the total reaction probabilities are calculated for the reactant H₂ initially in the vibrational states v=0～3 (j=0). It is found that initial vibrational excitation enhances the title reaction.     

Ab initio spin-orbit configuration interaction calculations for high-lying states of the HeNe quasimolecule

Multireference configuration interaction (MRD-CI) calculations are reported for a large series of electronic states of the HeNe quasimolecule up to 170000 cm(-1) excitation energy, including those that dissociate to the 3S1 and 2 1S0 excited states of the He atom. Spin-orbit coupling is included through the use of relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs). Good agreement is obtained with experimental spectroscopic data for the respective atomic levels, although there is a tendency to systematically underestimate the energies of the Ne atom by 1000-1500 cm(-1) because of differences in the correlation effects associated with its ground and Rydberg excited states. Potential curves are calculated for each of these states, and a number of relatively deep minima are found. The CI Omega-state wave functions are sufficiently diabatic until r = 4-5 a0 to allow for a clear identification of the He 1s-2s excited states. Electric dipole transition moments are computed between these states and the HeNe X 0+ ground state up to r = 4.0 a0, and it is found that the 2 (1)S0 - X maximum value is over an order of magnitude larger than that for the corresponding (3)S1 - X excitation process.     

Electron correlation effects in SCF+CI wave functions—Fermi and coulomb correlation holes in HCN

The Coulomb correlation hole distribution function has been computed with respect to various reference centers in the HCN molecule, using standard SCF +CI type wave functions. The extent to which statistical correlation between unlike-spin electrons is introduced into an SCF wave function through the inclusion of configuration interaction has been assessed by an examination of the range and depth of such holes, and compared with the behavior of analogous Fermi distribution functions. Our results show that the range of Fermi correlation is consistently longer than that of the corresponding Coulomb correlation.     

Electronic and cationic states of 2-methylpropene (isobutene) studied by VUV absorption,scattered electron spectroscopy and AB initio multireference configuration interaction calculations

VUV (6.2–9 eV) and electron scattering spectra (1–9 eV) have been recorded for 2-methylpropene (isobutene). Also, electronic states of the molecule, including the ground state and cationic states, have been investigated using ab initio multi-reference configuration interaction calculations. Some Koopmans-type in the UV photoelectron spectrum are reassigned and a number of shake-up states computed. In the electronic spectrum, Rydberg excited have been assigned and a second valence excited state (σ π*) located within about 1 eV of the V(ππ*) state. The experiments show, and theory confirms, that the Rydberg R(π3s) state has a positive electron affinity. Some interesting correlations between ionisation energies, energies of shake-up state electronic excitation energies are identified.     

Ab initio calculations on SnCl2 and Franck-Condon factor simulations of its ã-X and B-X absorption and single-vibronic-level emission spectra

Minimum-energy geometries, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and relative electronic energies of some low-lying singlet and triplet electronic states of stannous dichloride, SnCl(2), have been computed employing the complete-active-space self-consistent-field/multireference configuration interaction (CASSCF/MRCI) and/or restricted-spin coupled-cluster single-double plus perturbative triple excitations [RCCSD(T)] methods. The small core relativistic effective core potential, ECP28MDF, was used for Sn in these calculations, together with valence basis sets of up to augmented correlation-consistent polarized-valence quintuple-zeta (aug-cc-pV5Z) quality. Effects of outer core electron correlation on computed geometrical parameters have been investigated, and contributions of off-diagonal spin-orbit interaction to relative electronic energies have been calculated. In addition, RCCSD(T) or CASSCF/MRCI potential energy functions of the X(1)A(1), ?(3)B(1), and B(1)B(1) states of SnCl(2) have been computed and used to calculate anharmonic vibrational wave functions of these three electronic states. Franck-Condon factors between the X (1)A(1) state, and the ? (3)B(1) and B (1)B(1) states of SnCl(2), which include anharmonicity and Duschinsky rotation, were then computed, and used to simulate the ?-X and B-X absorption and corresponding single-vibronic-level emission spectra of SnCl(2) which are yet to be recorded. It is anticipated that these simulated spectra will assist spectroscopic identification of gaseous SnCl(2) in the laboratory and/or will be valuable in in situ monitoring of SnCl(2) in the chemical vapor deposition of SnO(2) thin films in the semiconductor gas sensor industry by laser induced fluorescence and/or ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, when a chloride-containing tin compound, such as tin dichloride or dimethyldichlorotin, is used as the tin precursor.     

Correlation contributions to the radical cation states of linear even polyenes: An open-shell RHF-CNDO/S(CI) analysis of the optical and photoelectron spectra

Configuration interaction wave functions are calculated for the low-lying radical cation states of trans-butadiene, hexatriene, and octatetraene within the open-shell RHF -CNDO /S (CI ) approach. The consequences of various one-electron contributions to the interpretation of existing photoemission and radical cation optical spectra are emphasized. Electron correlation is shown to be essential to achieve adequate energy and intensity profiles assuming photoelectron or optical excitation. The excitation energies and transition amplitudes (optical and photoemission) are also found to be sensitive to the molecular geometry. The present results are consistent with previous interpretations that photoionization measurements probe the neutralmolecule alternating single-double bond-length structure, whereas optical excitation samples an ion-state–state–induced “relaxed” reference configuration having a weakened bond-length alternation. Calculated trends in the spectroscopic properties are extrapolated to extended members of the even-polyene series.