A Universal Power Law Governing the Accuracy of Wave Function-Based Electronic Structure Calculations

Natural Densitals

The concept of natural densitals (NDs) and their amplitudes is introduced. These quantities provide the spectral decomposition of the cumulant D 2 ( x 1 , x 2 ) of the two-electron density that, by definition, quantifies the extent of electron correlation. Consequently, they are ideally suited for a rigorous description of electron correlation effects in Coulombic systems. Spin-summed and spin-resolved versions of the NDs and their amplitudes are defined, and their properties are discussed in detail. Unlike the nonnegative-valued occupation numbers of the natural orbitals (NOs), these amplitudes exhibit diverse sign patterns that emerge within different regimes of electron correlation. The descriptive power of this property is vividly illustrated with the ground state of the H2 molecule, in which the subtle interplay of various types of electron correlation is captured in detail by a straightforward examination of the amplitudes of the NDs alone. Offering the most compact bilinear representations of D 2 ( x 1 , x 2 ) (a property analogous to that of the NOs with respect to the 1-matrix), the NDs open up entirely new vistas in the analysis of electronic structures of atoms and molecules.

Formally Exact and Practically Useful Analytic Solution of Harmonium

We provide a novel exact analytic solution of harmonium with arbitrary Coulomb interaction strength, for ground as well as all the excited states, using our recently developed method for solving Schrödinger equations. By comparing three formally exact analytic representations of the wave function including the one that utilizes biconfluent Heun function, we find that the best and practically useful representation for the ground state is given by an exact factorized form involving a noninteger power pre-exponential factor, an exponentially decaying term and a modulator function. For excited states, additional factors are needed to account for the nodal information. We show that our method is far more efficient than basis-expansion-based methods in representing the wave function. With the exact wave functions, we have also analyzed the evolution trends of the electron density and natural occupation numbers with increasing interaction strength, which gives insight into the interesting physics in the strong correlation limit.

Constraints upon Functionals of the 1-Matrix, Universal Properties of Natural Orbitals, and the Fallacy of the Collins "Conjecture"

Reliability of quantum-chemical calculations based upon the density functional theory and its 1-matrix counterpart hinges upon minimizing the extent of empirical parameterization in the approximate energy expressions of these formalisms while imposing as many rigorous constraints upon them as possible. The recently uncovered universal properties of the natural orbitals facilitate the construction of such constraints for the 1-matrix functionals. The benefits of their employment in the validation of these functionals are vividly demonstrated by a critical review of the three incarnations of the so-called Collins conjecture. Although the incorporation of rigorous definitions of the correlation energy and entropy, and the identification of individual potential energy hypersurfaces as probable domains of its applicability turn the originally published unsubstantiated claim into a proper conjecture, the resulting formalism is found to be merely a conduit for incorporation of static correlation effects in electronic structure calculations that is unlikely to allow attaining chemical accuracy.

Symmetry Equiincidence of Natural Orbitals

The symmetry equiincidence principle quantifies the apportionment of the natural orbitals (NOs), ordered according to their nonascending occupation numbers, among the irreducible representations (irreps) of the point group pertaining to the underlying on-top two-electron density. This principle, which is rigorously proven for the resolvable Cs, C2v, C3v, C4v, C6v, D2h, D3h, D4h, D6h, and Oh point groups, states that the symmetry incidences, i.e., the asymptotic probabilities with which the NOs belonging to different irreps occur, are proportional to the squares of irreps' dimensions. Since its proof hinges upon a sufficient number of planes of symmetry among the elements of a given point group, it yields only linear combinations of the symmetry incidences for the quasiresolvable groups with too few such planes and fails for the unresolvable C1, Ci, Cn, Dn, S2n, T, O, and I groups whose nontrivial elements comprise only symmetry axes and/or the center of inversion.