Quantum chemistry of many-electron systems: high-priority aspects

The review generalizes the studies devoted to the development of a new quantum chemistry method representing an alternative to the Hartree–Fock approximation. Based on the hypothesis of prohibition of equipotential surfaces, which clarifies the physical sense of the Pauli exclusion principle, and taking account of the condition for antisymmetrical wave function of the triplet state (3S) of He atom, the Hartree–Fock approximation is inappropriate for a priori determination of the nodal surfaces of many-electron wave functions (MWFs) for the test systems traditionally used in quantum chemistry, namely, excited triplet state of H₂ molecule and the ground electronic states of Li atom and LiH molecule. The nodal surfaces of the wave functions corresponding to the minimum basis set of Slater orbitals in the Hartree–Fock approximation are constructed and analyzed. An alternative to the Hartree–Fock approximation is provided by the MWF quantum chemical method being developed by the authors. In the MWF method, the nodal surfaces for H₂(³Σ _u ^v ) and Li(²S) are specified a priori. Some aspects of geometric interpretation of the Pauli exclusion principle are discussed. Unlike the MWF method, the Hartree–Fock approximation is unsuitable for taking account of the dependence of the MWF nodal surfaces on the nuclear charges and on correlation effects related to the motion of electrons with antiparallel spins because such nodal surfaces are predefined by the mathematical properties of Slater determinants rather than by physically clear and more practically valuable algebraic products of electrostatic potential differences.     

An investigation of nodal structures and the construction of trial wave functions

The factors influencing the quality of the nodal surfaces, namely, the atomic basis set, the single-particle orbitals, and the configurations included in the wave-function expansion, are examined for a few atomic and molecular systems. The following empirical rules are found: the atomic basis set must be fairly large, complete active space and natural orbitals are usually better than Hartree-Fock orbitals, multiconfiguration expansions perform better than single-determinant wave functions, but only few configurations are effective and their choice is suggested by symmetry considerations, while too long determinantal expansions spoil the nodal surfaces. These rules allow us to reduce the nodal error and to compute the best fixed node-diffusion Monte Carlo energies for a series of dimers of first-row atoms.     

On the nodal structure of single-particle approximation based atomic wave functions

The nodal structures of atomic wave functions based on a product of spatial orbitals, namely, restricted, unrestricted, and generalized valence bond wave functions, are shown to be equivalent. This result is verified by fixed node-diffusion Monte Carlo simulations for atoms up to Ne. Also for a molecular system, Li(2) at the equilibrium geometry, a multideterminantal generalized valence bond wave function does not improve the nodal surfaces of a restricted Hartree-Fock wave function.     

Evaluation of expansion coefficients for translation of Slater‐type orbitals using complete orthonormal sets of exponential‐type functions

By the use of exponential‐type functions (ETFs) the simpler formulas for the expansion of Slater‐type orbitals (STOs) in terms of STOs at a displaced center are derived. The expansion coefficients for translation of STOs are presented by a linear combination of overlap integrals. The final results are of a simple structure and are, therefore, especially useful for machine computations of arbitrary multielectron multicenter molecular integrals over STOs that arise in the Hartree–Fock–Roothaan approximation and also in the Hylleraas correlated wave function method for the determination of arbitrary multielectron properties of atoms and molecules. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 81: 126–129, 2001     

Application of explicitly correlated Gaussian functions for calculations of the ground state of the beryllium atom

The electronic energy of atoms and molecules may be evaluated accurately by the use of wave functions where the interelectronic distances are explicitly present. In particular, explicitly correlated Gaussian-type functions make these types of calculations feasible and computationally tractable even for more extended systems. The resulting multielectron integrals may be reduced to standard one- and two-electron integrals that are readily evaluated. Initial calculations have been made for the Be atom where all four electrons were correlated at the same time. The preliminary results show that accurate results may be obtained. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Nodal surfaces of the wave functions of the hydrogen molecule in the triplet state 3Σu +

For molecular hydrogen in the triplet state ³Σ_u ⁺, the nodal surfaces of the wave function corresponding to the minimum basis set of Slater orbitals in the Hartree—Fock approximation and those of the wave function used in calculations by the diffusion quantum Monte Carlo method were plotted and analyzed. Taking account of the condition for antisymmetrical wave function of the triplet state ³ S of He atom, the Hartree-Fock approximation in the minimum basis set of one-electron orbitals is inappropriate for a priori determination of the nodal surfaces of many-electron wave functions (MWF). An MWF quantum chemical method developed by the authors is outlined. The alternative nodal surfaces for H₂ (³Σ_u ⁺) a priori specified in this method are presented.     

A priori determination of the nodal surfaces of trial wavefunctions of lithium hydride molecule

A comparative analysis of geometric properties of the nodal surfaces of four-electron trial wave function for LiH molecule is performed within the framework of the Hartree—Fock approximation and the method of many-electron wave functions (MWF) developed by the authors. Unlike the MWF method, the Hartree—Fock approximation fails to include the dependence of the nodal surfaces of MWF on nuclear charges of atoms in molecules and on effects of correlated motion of electrons with antiparallel spins because the nodal surfaces are specified by the mathematical properties of Slater determinants rather than physically clear and more practically valuable algebraic products of electrostatic potential differences.     

Rayleigh–ritz method for excited quantum states via nonlinear variations without constraints: Role of supersymmetry

Quantum mechanical variation principle in the form of energy minimization is applicable only to ground states of systems, or, at best, states of lowest energies of given symmetries, provided the symmetry information is embedded in chosen trial functions. Thus, for bound quantum states with specified choices of trial functions involving nonlinear parameters, scope of the principle is severely restricted. A pedagogic way out is to enforce exact orthogonality of the chosen function with all exact lower energy states. In actual practice, this limits one to opt for linear variations where upper bound to each state is obtained in a single run. In this work, the motivation is to explore if there exists at all a way to determine optimized wave functions and energies for excited states via nonlinear variations but without any constraints, even for simple systems. Realizing that the major problem in excited‐state nonlinear variations is concerned with the variations of nodal positions, at least for problems reducible to one dimension, we seek a route via which nodes could be fixed beforehand, so that the information gained may be subsequently utilized to construct a suitable nonlinear trial function and carry out a straightforward optimization. To achieve this end, the idea of supersymmetric quantum mechanics has been used quite profitably, yielding the nodal structure of the excited states. Workability of the strategy for several excited‐state wave functions and their properties is demonstrated by choosing the problems of spherical Stark effect on hydrogen atom and anharmonic oscillator. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Quantum manifestations of classical trajectories in molecular systems

Quantum chaos, understood as the effect of the underlying classical dynamics on the stationary quantum properties in classically chaotic systems, is examined in two molecular floppy systems. Realistic models of two degrees of freedom for HO₂ and HCN/HNC are considered. The structure of the classical phase space is studied using Poincaré surfaces of section and the dynamical characteristics of the corresponding wave functions analyzed also in phase space with the aid of Husimi functions. Some wave functions show strong localization along periodic orbits. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001     

A priori estimation of the nodal surfaces of trial wave functions of lithium atom

Some aspects of geometric interpretation of the Pauli exclusion principle in the Hartree—Fock approximation and in the framework of the many-electron wave function (MWF) method developed by the authors are discussed taking the Li (²S) ground electronic state as an example. Arguments are brought forward that indicate insufficient adequacy of the Hartree—Fock approximation for a priori estimation of the MWF nodal surfaces. It was pointed that, unlike the MWF method, the Hartree—Fock approximation can not describe the dependence of the shape of the MWF nodal surfaces on the nuclear charge of Li atom and on electron-electron correlation effects.     

Use of one-range addition theorems in terms of ?�� for ?��-ETO and Coulomb- Yukawa like correlated interaction potentials with integer and noninteger indices in evaluation of multicenter multielectron integrals

Multicenter multielectron integrals appearing in the study of multielectron properties of atomic and molecular systems are evaluated using one-range addition theorems in terms of complete orthonormal sets of ?^??-exponential type orbitals (?^??-ETO, ?? = 1, 0, ?1, ?2, ??) for ?^??-ETO and Coulomb-Yukawa like correlated interaction potentials (CIP) introduced by the author. The final results are especially useful for the computation of arbitrary multicenter multielectron integrals that arise in the Hartree-Fock- Roothaan (HFR) approximation and also in the explicitly correlated methods based upon the use of ?^??-ETO as basis functions.     

VSCF in internal coordinates and the calculation of anharmonic torsional mode transitions

The vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) method assumes separability in normal modes in its usual version. However, the method fails in cases such as soft torsional modes which are better treated by angular variables. We develop VSCF equations based on the assumption of wave function separability in internal coordinates. To test the method, simple illustrative applications to small systems are provided: trans-HONO, cis-HONO, H₂S₂, and H₂O₂. The code directly uses points from ab initio calculations, and the method proves to be accurate for all types of transitions. For typical torsional transitions, the error in the computed frequency is smaller than that of VSCF in normal coordinates. The wave functions for the torsional mode are compared with the corresponding normal mode wave functions. The differences are substantial. The results are encouraging for extension of the model for large polyatomic systems. Work along these lines is in progress.     

Construction of complex STO-NG basis sets by the method of least squares and their applications

The goals of electronic structure theory are to make quantitative predictions of molecular properties and to provide qualitative insight into bonding as well as features of potential energy surfaces. Oftentimes, the two goals are at odds as an accurate treatment requires a complicated wave function that obscures chemical insight. The multifacet graphically contracted function (MFGCF) method offers a new approach that allows both goals to be addressed simultaneously. The recursive product structure of the MFGCF wave function reduces the exponential scaling of the exact wave function and allows the computation of molecular properties with polynomial scaling with respect to system size. Additionally, the graph density concept provides an intuitive tool for visualizing and analyzing the qualitative features of the wave function. In this work, the graph densities for model systems are examined to demonstrate their utility in analyzing the changes in wave function character along potential energy surfaces and near avoided crossings. Finally, we demonstrate that the graph density exposes the structure of the exact wave function for a system of noninteracting molecules as a product of the fragment wave functions.     

The nodal structure of the momentum distributions of molecules

The nodal structure of molecular momentum distributions is studied by considering the simplest case of the ground state of the hydrogen molecular ion. By examining the exact expansion of the H₂⁺ momentum distribution, it is shown that an infinite sequence of nodes does exist along the p_z axis (z axis parallel to the bond axis) but not nodal planes perpendicular to the p_z axis (as is found for the simplest LCAO function). The nodes are those points where nonplanar nodal surfaces cross the p_z axis. It is also shown that molecular systems with more than one electron cannot, in the ground state, have nodal surfaces in their momentum distributions. Implications for the directional Compton profiles J( q ) are discussed.     

Non relativistic continuum wave functions for two coulomb centres

We give the continuum wave function solutions to the Schrödinger equation for an electron moving field of two point nuclei, as an expansion in terms of one centre Coulomb wave functions in a prolate elliptical coordinate system. These solutions may be chosen to have a convenient asymptotic behaviour, and tend to the conventional solutions of the Helmholtz equation in the limit that the nuclear charge goes to zero. In symmetric systems, where both nuclei have the same charge the angular wave functions are found to be identical with those occurring in the free case, and the expansion coefficients for the corresponding radial solutions are given for selected values of electron energy and nuclear separation.[/p]     

On the origin of satellite peaks in valence photoemission from CO ON Cu(110)

The valence-level photoelectron spectrum of CO absorbed on copper surfaces exhibits extra features in the region 10–20 eV below E_F which are attributed to multielectron excitations. We have recorded the satellite intensity as a function of photon energy in the system CO/Cu(110) using synchrotron radiation. It is found that the occurrence of all satellites, including some which are observed for the first time, can be explained in terms of the SCF Xα SW model calculations by Messmer et al.     

Multielectron transfer process for molecular conversions: Oxidative polymerization with vanadium catalysts

Multielectron transfer plays an important role in many chemical reactions. A collection of studies on metal complexes which exhibit one-step multielectron transfer processes and on chemical reactions based on multielectron transfer systems is presented. Emphasis is placed on the role of multielectron transfer process as essential prerequisites for some molecular conversion systems such as the reduction of O₂ and the oxidation of H₂O. As an important example of molecular conversion, oxidative polymerization of aromatic compounds through two-electron transfer is also reviewed.     

Diabatic surfaces which permute into one another

Some of the problems, discussed recently, with the idea that every molecule has a structure can be removed by adopting the idea that some molecules have several structures with probabilities of transfer between them. This is supported theoretically by using diabatic energy surfaces and wave functions. Since these are not easy to define in general, their definition is given in the special case where the surfaces permute into one another. Two kinds of permutation operations are required. The analysis is given more fully for two intersecting diabatic surfaces. The analogy to the double-valued property of the wave function near a conical intersection is given.