Optimization of the one-electron density matrix

Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry -     

Properties of aromaticity indices based on the one-electron density matrix

Proper normalization of two previously published indices yields aromaticity measures that, when computed within the Hückel molecular orbital (HMO) approximation, closely match the topological resonance energies per pi electron of aromatic annulenes and their ions. The normalized indices, which quantify aromaticity of individual rings in polycyclic systems, are equally applicable to homocyclic and heterocyclic compounds and can be readily computed from 1-matrices calculated at any level of electronic structure theory. However, only the index ING, derived from the Giambiagi formula, produces proper ordering of aromaticities of heterocyclic compounds, provided it is calculated from all-electron wavefunctions in conjunction with the atoms in molecule (AIM) partitioning. Its values are shown to be strongly affected by electron correlation effects. Because of its apparent inability to distinguish between anti- and nonaromatic systems, ING should only be employed for aromatic species.     

Frequency-dependent response properties and excitation energies from one-electron density matrix functionals

The recent formulation of the time-dependent density matrix functional theory (TD-DMFT) has opened an avenue to calculations of frequency-dependent response properties and excitation energies of atoms and molecules. In practice, the accuracy of the computed data is limited by both the errors inherent to the adiabatic approximation or its modifications and the quality of the energy functionals. The relative importance of these two factors is carefully assessed with test calculations on diatomic molecules with few electrons. The test results clearly demonstrate the superiority of an ad hoc approach that corrects the improper behavior of the adiabatic approximation at the low-frequency limit. Even more importantly, TD-DMFT convincingly removes the ambiguity in the choice of the two-electron integrals that is present in the stationary-state case. On the other hand, paralleling the previously reached conclusions pertinent to ionization potentials, the presently available BBC-type functionals are found to be insufficiently accurate to provide reliable quantitative predictions of excitation energies.     

Communication: Hilbert-space partitioning of the molecular one-electron density matrix with orthogonal projectors

A double-atom partitioning of the molecular one-electron density matrix is used to describe atoms and bonds. All calculations are performed in Hilbert space. The concept of atomic weight functions (familiar from Hirshfeld analysis of the electron density) is extended to atomic weight matrices. These are constructed to be orthogonal projection operators on atomic subspaces, which has significant advantages in the interpretation of the bond contributions. In close analogy to the iterative Hirshfeld procedure, self-consistency is built in at the level of atomic charges and occupancies. The method is applied to a test set of about 67 molecules, representing various types of chemical binding. A close correlation is observed between the atomic charges and the Hirshfeld-I atomic charges.     

New constraints upon the electron-electron repulsion energy functional of the one-electron reduced density matrix

Three strict constraints upon the electron-electron repulsion energy functional of the one-electron reduced density matrix (the 1-matrix) are obtained by combining its invariance and stationary properties with the extended Koopmans' theorem. The constraints relate the quantities derived from the functional pertaining to an N-electron system with those of its (N-1)-electron congener. Together with the N-representability requirement for the 1-matrix of the congener, identities involving the electron-electron repulsion energies of the two systems and their derivatives with respect to the 1-matrices seriously narrow down the choices for potential approximate density-matrix functionals. This fact is well illustrated in the case of two-electron systems, where the validity of the new constraints is confirmed and found to originate from a nontrivial cancellation among different terms. Thus, the constraints provide a new tool for the construction and testing of new functionals that complements the previously known conditions such as the reproduction of the homogeneous gas energies and momentum distributions, convexity, and the N-representability of the associated 2-matrices.     

Stockholder projector analysis: a Hilbert-space partitioning of the molecular one-electron density matrix with orthogonal projectors

A previously introduced partitioning of the molecular one-electron density matrix over atoms and bonds [D. Vanfleteren et al., J. Chem. Phys. 133, 231103 (2010)] is investigated in detail. Orthogonal projection operators are used to define atomic subspaces, as in Natural Population Analysis. The orthogonal projection operators are constructed with a recursive scheme. These operators are chemically relevant and obey a stockholder principle, familiar from the Hirshfeld-I partitioning of the electron density. The stockholder principle is extended to density matrices, where the orthogonal projectors are considered to be atomic fractions of the summed contributions. All calculations are performed as matrix manipulations in one-electron Hilbert space. Mathematical proofs and numerical evidence concerning this recursive scheme are provided in the present paper. The advantages associated with the use of these stockholder projection operators are examined with respect to covalent bond orders, bond polarization, and transferability.     

Total energies of alkanes in terms of through-space and through-bond interactions. Analysis of the one-electron density matrix

The total energy of alkanes has been expressed in terms of two principal matrices G₍₁₎ and G₍₂₎ introduced previously [V. Gineityte, J. Mol. Struct. (Theochem), 343 (1995) 183] and describing the direct (through-space) and indirect (through-bond) interactions of bond orbitals (BOs). As a result, the stabilization energy of an alkane versus the respective set of isolated bonds has been related to sum of squares of the through-space interactions over the whole molecule. The common one-electron density matrix (DM) of alkanes containing the same matrices G₍₁₎ and G₍₂₎ has been transformed into the basis of sp³-hybrid AOs of carbon atoms and 1s_H AOs of hydrogen atoms. Analysis of this new representation of the DM allowed the stabilization energy to be alternatively expressed as spur of the so-called rebonding matrix. This matrix is among the building blocks of the transformed DM and describes redistribution of bond orders when making up an alkane molecule. In this connection, stabilization of alkanes has been concluded to be due to the rebonding effect. The extent of additivity of the stabilization energy with respect to contributions of separate bonds also has been studied.     

Accurate electron density and one-electron properties for the beryllium atom

An accurate analytical electron density for the beryllium atom is obtained by using a fast and systematic method recently developed and tested for the neon atom. Asymptotic conditions both at the nucleus and at large distances are obeyed. A point-by-point comparison between our density and the one obtained from an almost “exact” configuration interaction wave function shows that differences are less than 0.5% for r between 0 and 5 bohrs and less than 1 % up to 9 bohrs. The accuracy of the density is also assessed by comparing results of density moments and x-ray scattering factors.     

Real-time propagation of the reduced one-electron density matrix in atom-centered Gaussian orbitals: application to absorption spectra of silicon clusters

We solve the time-dependent density functional theory equation by propagating the reduced one-electron density matrix in real-time domain. The efficiency of several standard solvers such as the short-iterative Krylov-subspace propagator, the low-order Magnus integration method with the matrix polynomial (MP) or Chebyshev matrix polynomial (CMP) expansion of the evolution operator, and Runge-Kutta algorithm are assessed. Fast methods for summing MP and CMP are implemented to speed the calculation of the matrix exponential. It is found that the exponential propagators can tolerate large time step size and retain the computational accuracy whereas the Krylov-subspace algorithm is a little inferior for a larger time step size compared with the second-order Magnus integration method with the MP/CMP expansion of the evolution operator in both weak and intense fields. As an application, we calculate the absorption spectra of hydrogen-passivated silicon nanoparticles Si(29)H(x). The popular hybrid and generalized gradient approximation exchange-correlation functionals are applied. We find that the experimental spectra can be reproduced by using B3LYP and that the silicon particles with sizes of 1 nm and the optical excitations at 3.7, 4.0, and 4.6 eV may consist of 29 Si atoms surrounded by 24 hydrogen atoms.     

Obtaining the two-body density matrix in the density matrix renormalization group method

We present an approach that allows to produce the two-body density matrix during the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) run without an additional increase in the current disk and memory requirements. The computational cost of producing the two-body density matrix is proportional to O(M3k2+M2k4). The method is based on the assumption that different elements of the two-body density matrix can be calculated during different steps of a sweep. Hence, it is desirable that the wave function at the convergence does not change during a sweep. We discuss the theoretical structure of the wave function ansatz used in DMRG, concluding that during the one-site DMRG procedure, the energy and the wave function are converging monotonically at every step of the sweep. Thus, the one-site algorithm provides an opportunity to obtain the two-body density matrix free from the N-representability problem. We explain the problem of local minima that may be encountered in the DMRG calculations. We discuss theoretically why and when the one- and two-site DMRG procedures may get stuck in a metastable solution, and we list practical solutions helping the minimization to avoid the local minima.     

Molecular structural formulas as one-electron density and hamiltonian operators: the VIF method extended

The valency interaction formula (VIF) method is given a broader and more general interpretation in which these simple molecular structural formulas implicitly include all overlaps between valence atomic orbitals even for interactions not drawn in the VIF picture. This applies for VIF pictures as one-electron Hamiltonian operators as well as VIF pictures as one-electron density operators that constitute a new implementation of the VIF method simpler in its application and more accurate in its results than previous approaches. A procedure for estimating elements of the effective charge density-bond order matrix, Pmunu, from electron configurations in atoms is presented, and it is shown how these lead to loop and line constants in the VIF picture. From these structural formulas, one finds the number of singly, doubly, and unoccupied molecular orbitals, as well as the number of molecular orbitals with energy lower, equal, and higher than -1/2Eh, the negative of the hydrogen atom's ionization energy. The VIF results for water are in qualitative agreement with MP2/6311++G3df3pd, MO energy levels where the simple VIF for water presented in the earlier literature does not agree with computed energy levels. The method presented here gives the simplest accurate VIF pictures for hydrocarbons. It is shown how VIF can be used to predict thermal barriers to chemical reactions. Insertion of singlet carbene into H2 is given as an example. VIF pictures as one-electron density operators describe the ground-state multiplicities of B2, N2, and O2 molecules and as one-electron Hamiltonian operators give the correct electronegativity trend across period two. Previous implementations of VIF do not indicate singly occupied molecular orbitals directly from the pictorial VIF rules for these examples. The direct comparison between structural formulas that represent electron density and those that represent energy is supported by comparison of a simple electronegativity scale, chiD=N/n2, with well-known electronegativity scales of Pauling, Mulliken, and Allen. This scale comes from the method used to calculate Pmumu for sp3 hybridized period-two elements and is comparable to electronegativity because it has the same form as <1/r> for hydrogenic orbitals. It therefore provides a physical basis for the representation of one electron density and Hamiltonian operators by the same VIF picture.     

Pointwise bounds for the electron density and estimates of an expectation value for one-electron systems

Pointwise bounds for wavefunctions of a class of Schrödinger operators for one-electron systems are used to obtain pointwise bounds for the electron density, as well as estimates for the expectation value (r^?1).     

A semi-empirical model for computing radial matrix elements in one-electron atoms and ions

An easily tractable model is proposed to compute radial matrix elements between discrete states of one-electron atoms or ions. Assuming a closed-shell core, polarization effects are included in the model, and core penetration is accounted for empirically. The required inputs for this algorithm are the energies of the involved levels, and the core size and polarisabilities. Ignoring core polarization, the derived Coulomb matrix elements (possibly between levels with non-zero quantum defects) agree with those tabulated elsewhere in the literature. The method is then applied to dipolar and quadrupolar transitions in alkali atoms and singly-ionized alkaline-earth elements; it proves to be in fair agreement with available experimental data. An accuracy test of the method is proposed.     

Relativistic all-electron two-component self-consistent density functional calculations including one-electron scalar and spin-orbit effects

We have implemented a Gaussian basis-set two-component self-consistent field method based on the fourth-order nuclear-only Douglas-Kroll-Hess approximation. Two-electron spin-orbit effects are included using Boettger's screened-nuclear spin-orbit approximation. In our two-component approach, the spin-orbit interaction is taken into account in a variational fashion employing a generalized Kohm-Sham scheme which allows one to work with hybrid density functionals. For open-shell systems we adopt the noncollinear spin-density approximation. Results are presented for equilibrium bond lengths, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and bond dissociation energies with local spin-density, generalized gradient approximation, and hybrid functionals in a set of benchmark molecules.     

Real-time propagation of the reduced one-electron density matrix in atom-centered orbitals: application to multielectron dynamics of carbon clusters C(n) in the strong laser pulses

We present a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) study on the electron dynamics of small carbon clusters C(n) (n = 9, 10) exposed to a linearly polarized (LP) or circularly polarized (CP) oscillating electric field of ultrafast laser with moderate laser intensity. The multielectron dynamics is described by propagating the reduced one-electron density matrix in real-time domain. The high harmonic generation (HHG) spectra of emission as well as the time evolution of atomic charges, dipole moments and dipole accelerations during harmonic generation are calculated. The microscopic structure-property correlation of carbon chains is characterized. It is found that the electron responses of C(n) to the laser field oscillation become nonadiabatic as the field intensity is larger than 1.4 x 10(13) W/cm(2). The nonadiabatic multielectron effect is displayed by an explicit fluctuation on the induced atomic charges and the instantaneous dipole acceleration and by observing the additional peaks other than those predicted from the spectral selection rule in HHG spectra of C(n) as well. The origin of these additional peaks is elucidated. The atomic charges of C(n) in LP and CP laser pulses experience different type of oscillations as expected. In the linear structure C9, the atomic charges at the two ends experience larger amplitude oscillations than those near the chain center whereas the induced charges on each atom of C10 experience the equal amplitude oscillations in the CP laser pulse.     

On the density matrix definition of valency

In a recent article Gopinathan and Jug have proposed a definition of atomic valency which had previously been given by Armstrong, Perkins and Stewart for closed shell molecules. The validity and interpretation of this definition for open shell systems is discussed. A new parameter for structural analysis, the free electron index, is presented.We want to acknowledge the computer time made available by Centro de Estudios Superiores para el Procesamiento de la Informatión (CESPI) de la Universidad National de La Plata and many useful suggestions made by the referees of this paper.     

Time-dependent transition density matrix

The transition density matrix (TDM) is a useful tool for analyzing and interpreting electronic excitation processes in molecular systems. For any transition between two eigenstates of a many-body system, the TDM provides a characteristic spatial map which indicates the distribution of the associated electron–hole pairs and allows one to identify their delocalization and coherence lengths. This is particularly useful for characterizing charge-transfer excitations in large molecular chains or light-harvesting molecules. We here extend these concepts into the real-time domain and define the time-dependent TDM and discuss it in the context of TDDFT. An approximation is proposed in terms of the Kohn–Sham Slater determinants. This provides a new tool for the real-time visualization of electronic excitation processes such as exciton formation, diffusion, recombination, or charge separation. We illustrate the time-dependent TDM for simple one-dimensional lattice systems with two spinless electrons which are either noninteracting of fully interacting.     

The structure of the second-order reduced density matrix in density matrix functional theory and its construction from formal criteria

Some formal requirements for the second-order reduced density matrix are discussed in the context of density matrix functional theory. They serve as a basis for the ad hoc construction of the second-order reduced density matrix in terms of the first-order reduced density matrix and lead to implicit functionals where the occupation numbers of the natural orbitals are obtained as diagonal elements of an idempotent matrix the elements of which represent the variational parameters to be optimized. The numerical results obtained from a first realization of such an implicit density matrix functional give excellent agreement with the results of full configuration interaction calculations for four-electron systems like LiH and Be. Results for H2O taken as an example for a somewhat larger molecule are numerically less satisfactory but still give reasonable occupation numbers of the natural orbitals and indicate the capability of density matrix functional theory to cope with static electron correlation.