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 critical study of basis set effects and the use of approximate natural orbitals in SCF-CI calculations of molecular geometries and heats of reaction

SCF-CI calculations have been performed on a number of chemical reactions between closed shell molecules in order to determine the heats of reaction. Contracted Gaussian type atomic basis sets of three different qualities were used and the CI calculations were performed in a truncated approximate natural orbital space. The conclusions to be drawn from these calculations are rather pessimistic. For heats of reaction, errors up to 6 kcal/mole are obtained on the SCF-level with a double zeta plus polarization atomic basis. A further improvement is only possible if extended basis sets are used. Correlation effects on heats of reaction are of the same size and CI calculations are therefore only meaningful with large atomic basis sets.For the CI calculations a one-electron space of approximate natural orbitals, obtained from second order RS perturbation theory, was used. Different truncations, using the occupation number as criterion, were tested. The general conclusion is that errors in energy differences obtained with a truncated basis set are of the same magnitude as the error in the total correlation energy. In practice this means that not more than 20–30% of the approximate natural orbitals can be deleted if the error is to be kept less than a few kcal/mole.Finally the truncation error in calculations of bond distances was tested for a few cases. Errors of around 10% of the total change due to correlation were found when 30% of the lowest occupied natural orbitals were deleted.     

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.     

Valence-bond calculations on ZNO and HGO using integrals computed through the semiempirical AM1 method

Valence-bond calculations have been carried out on ZnO and HgO using a basis set of Slatertype atomic orbitals and the one- and two-electron integrals as computed in the semiempirical AM 1 molecular orbital method. The zero differential overlap approximation has been used to calculate integrals between atomic orbital Slater determinants using the rules for matrix elements between determinants formed by orthogonal orbitals. Diabatic and adiabatic curves have been analyzed for the two systems, and results compared with molecular orbital AM 1 results. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Study on the maximum accuracy of the pseudopotential density functional method with localized atomic orbitals versus plane-wave basis sets

A detailed study on the accuracy attainable with numerical atomic orbitals in the context of pseudopotential first-principles density functional theory is presented. Dimers of first- and second-row elements are analyzed: bond lengths, atomization energies, and Kohn-Sham eigenvalue spectra obtained with localized orbitals and with plane-wave basis sets are compared. For each dimer, the cutoff radius, the shape, and the number of the atomic basis orbitals are varied in order to maximize the accuracy of the calculations. Optimized atomic orbitals are obtained following two routes: (i) maximization of the projection of plane wave results into atomic orbital basis sets and (ii) minimization of the total energy with respect to a set of primitive atomic orbitals as implemented in the OPENMX software package. It is found that by optimizing the numerical basis, chemical accuracy can be obtained even with a small set of orbitals.     

Minimal set of molecule-adapted atomic orbitals from maximum overlap criterion

The criterion of maximum overlap with the canonical free-atom orbitals is used to construct a minimal set of molecule-intrinsic orthogonal atomic orbitals that resemble the most their promolecular origins. Partial atomic charges derived from population analysis within representation of such molecule-adopted atomic orbitals are examined on example of first-row hydrides and compared with charges from other methods. The maximum overlap criterion is also utilized to approximate the exact free-atom orbitals obtained from ab initio calculations in any arbitrary basis set and the influence of the resulting fitted canonical atomic orbitals on properties of molecule-adopted atomic orbitals is briefly discussed.     

Nodal Surface Approximations to the Zero Equipotential Surfaces for Cubic Lattices

Models of electrostatic surfaces in atomic crystals rely on equations involving the Jacobi theta functions. Numerical integration of these is prohibitively time consuming, making it difficult to examine the properties of the fields which give rise to the surfaces. We give simple expressions for the key electrostatic surfaces using Fourier expansions in basis sets of nodal surfaces. Any surface may be computed in seconds in a form ammenable to further analysis. The distribution of the mean and Gaussian curvatures over each surface has been visualised by assigning colours so that the range from minimum to maximum value spans blue to red. We similarly explore the mean and Gaussian scalar fields over a range of triply periodic surfaces of the same morphology.     

The ellipsoidal Gaussian basis in molecular orbital theory

The ellipsoidal Gaussian basis function used in a minimal valence atomic orbital representation is compared with the double-zeta spherical Gaussian basis orbital representation for some seventeen molecules made up of first row atoms and hydrogen. Except for acetylene the double-zeta basis gives consistently better total electronic energies and generally better property values than the optimized ellipsoidal single zeta basis. Difference molecular density contour maps comparing the two basis sets, as well as other one-electron property values, indicate that the ellipsoidal basis exaggerates the transfer of charge from the atomic regions to the interatomic and lone pair regions of molecules. Apparently, the forced complete elliptization of the valence atomic orbital in the single-zeta representation does not allow the basis set sufficient flexibility to simultaneously represent both the basically spherical atomic part of these orbitals and the non-spherical molecular bond formation. Other properties and aspects of the ellipsoidal Gaussian basis are also discussed.     

Molecule intrinsic minimal basis sets. I. Exact resolution of ab initio optimized molecular orbitals in terms of deformed atomic minimal-basis orbitals

A method is presented for expressing the occupied self-consistent-field (SCF) orbitals of a molecule exactly in terms of chemically deformed atomic minimal-basis-set orbitals that deviate as little as possible from free-atom SCF minimal-basis orbitals. The molecular orbitals referred to are the exact SCF orbitals, the free-atom orbitals referred to are the exact atomic SCF orbitals, and the formulation of the deformed "quasiatomic minimal-basis-sets" is independent of the calculational atomic orbital basis used. The resulting resolution of molecular orbitals in terms of quasiatomic minimal basis set orbitals is therefore intrinsic to the exact molecular wave functions. The deformations are analyzed in terms of interatomic contributions. The Mulliken population analysis is formulated in terms of the quasiatomic minimal-basis orbitals. In the virtual SCF orbital space the method leads to a quantitative ab initio formulation of the qualitative model of virtual valence orbitals, which are useful for calculating electron correlation and the interpretation of reactions. The method is applicable to Kohn-Sham density functional theory orbitals and is easily generalized to valence MCSCF orbitals.     

Hartree–Fock wave functions with a modified GTO basis for atoms

We have solved the atomic Hartree–Fock equations by using the algebraic approach, expanding the single-particle radial wave function in terms of a modified Gaussian type orbitals (GTOs) basis. Several atomic properties such as Kato's cusp condition for the electron density or the correct asymptotic behavior of the electron momentum density distribution are accurately verified. Additionally the energy of the atomic ground state can be obtained by using a smaller number of basis functions than in standard GTO expansions. This study has been performed for several atoms of the first three rows. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 65 : 59–64, 1997     

Implementation of atomic basis set composed of 1s Gaussian and 1s Slater-type orbitals to carry out quantum mechanics molecular calculations

A mixed atomic basis set formed with ls Slater-type orbitals and 1s floating spherical Gaussian orbitals is implemented. Evaluation of multicenter integrals is carried out using a method based on expansion of binary products of atomic basis functions in terms of a complete basis set, and a systematic analysis is performed. The proposed algorithm is very stable and furnishes fairly good results for total energy and geometry. An LCAO-SCF test calculation is carried out on LiH. The trends observed show that there are some combinations of mixed orbitals that are appropriate to describe the system. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20: 604–609, 1999     

Angular dependence of Gaussian-Lobe orbitals. I. Analysis of standard p- and d-orbitals

Multipole expansions of Gaussian-lobe atomic orbitals around their centers are theoretically investigated in order to study the exact angular dependence of such functions. Analytical expressions of the multipole coefficients are derived for standard lobe orbitals. It is shown that the average-square values of multipole components are related to a unique orbital parameter λ. The numerical values of p- and d-components are given for selected λ and the choice of this parameter is discussed on the basis of symmetry and computational arguments. The transferability of optimized atomic exponents from harmonic (or Cartesian) functions to lobe functions is established so that the possibility of applying the Gaussian-lobe orbital approach in chemical studies is greatly extended.     

The accuracy of hyperfine integrals in relativistic NMR computations based on the zeroth-order regular approximation

The accuracy of the hyperfine integrals obtained in relativistic NMR computations based on the zeroth–order regular approximation (ZORA) is investigated. The matrix elements of the Fermi contact operator and its relativistic analogs for s orbitals obtained from numerical nonrelativistic, ZORA, and four–component Hartree–Fock–Slater calculations on atoms are compared. It is found that the ZORA yields very accurate hyperfine integrals for the valence shells of heavy atoms, but performs rather poorly for the innermost core shells. Because the important observables of the NMR experiment—chemical shifts and spin–spin coupling constants—can be understood as valence properties it is concluded that ZORA computations represent a reliable tool for the investigations of these properties. On the other hand, absolute shieldings calculated with the ZORA might be substantially in error. Because applications to molecules have so far exclusively been based on basis set expansions of the molecular orbitals, ZORA hyperfine integrals obtained from atomic Slater-type basis set computations for mercury are compared with the accurate numerical values. It is demonstrated that the core part of the basis set requires functions with Slater exponents only up to 10⁴ in the case where errors in the hyperfine integrals of a few percent are acceptable.     

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.     

Gauge-origin independent calculations of Jones birefringence

We present the first gauge-origin independent formulation of Jones birefringence at the Hartree-Fock level of theory. Gauge-origin independence is achieved through the use of London atomic orbitals. The implementation is based on a recently proposed atomic orbital-based response theory formulation that allows for the use of both time- and perturbation-dependent basis sets [Thorvaldsen, Ruud, Kristensen, Jo?rgensen, and Coriani, J. Chem. Phys. 129, 214108 (2008)]. We present the detailed expressions for the response functions entering the Jones birefringence when London atomic orbitals are used. The implementation is tested on a set of polar and dipolar molecules at the Hartree-Fock level of theory. It is demonstrated that London orbitals lead to much improved basis-set convergence, and that the use of small, conventional basis sets may lead to the wrong sign for the calculated birefringence. For large basis sets, London orbitals and conventional basis sets converge to the same results.     

Compact contracted Gaussian-type basis sets for halogen atoms. Basis-set superposition effects on molecular properties

Compact, contracted Gaussian basis sets for halogen atoms are generated and tested in ab initio molecular calculations. These basis sets have similar structure to that of Huzinaga and co-workers' (HTS ) sets; however, they give both better atomic total energies and better properties of atomic valence orbitals. These sets, after splitting of valence orbitals and augmenting with polarization functions, provide molecular results that agree well with those given by extended calculations. Basis set superposition error (BSSE ) is calculated using the counterpoise method. BSSE has only slight influence on calculated equilibrium geometry, shape of potential curve, and electric properties (dipole and quadrupole moments) of molecules. However, atomization energies may be significantly changed by the BSSE .     

Prediction of the adsorption behavior of elements 112 and 114 on inert surfaces from ab initio Dirac-Coulomb atomic calculations

The interaction of elements 112 and 114 with inert surfaces has been studied on the basis of fully relativistic ab initio Dirac-Coulomb CCSD(T) calculations of their atomic properties. The calculated polarizabilities of elements 112 and 114 are significantly lower than corresponding Hg and Pb values due to the relativistic contraction of the valence ns and np(12) orbitals, respectively, in the heavier elements. Due to the same reason, the estimated van der Waals radius of element 114 is smaller than that of Pb. The enthalpies of adsorption of Hg, Pb, and elements 112 and 114 on inert surfaces such as quartz, ice, and Teflon were predicted on the basis of these atomic calculations using a physisorption model. At the present level of accuracy, -DeltaH(ads) of element 112 on these surfaces is slightly (about 2 kJ/mol) larger than -DeltaH(ads)(Hg). The calculated -DeltaH(ads) of element 114 on quartz is about 7 kJ/mol and on Teflon is about 3 kJ/mol smaller than the respective values of -DeltaH(ads)(Pb). The trend of increasing -DeltaH(ads) in group 14 from C to Sn is thus reversed, giving decreasing values from Sn to Pb to element 114 due to the relativistic stabilization and contraction of the np(12) atomic orbitals. This is similar to trends shown by other atomic properties of these elements. The small difference in DeltaH(ads) of Pb and element 114 on inert surfaces obtained within a picture of physisorption contrasts with the large difference (more than 100 kJ/mol) in the chemical reactivity between these elements.