Linear system-size scaling methods for electronic-structure calculations

Modular implementation of the linear- and cubic-scaling orbital minimization methods in electronic structure codes using atomic orbitals

We present a code modularization approach to design efficient and massively parallel cubic- and linear-scaling solvers for electronic structure calculations using atomic orbitals. The modular implementation of the orbital minimization method, in which linear algebra and parallelization issues are handled via external libraries, is demonstrated in the SIESTA code. The distributed block compressed sparse row (DBCSR) and scalable linear algebra package (ScaLAPACK) libraries are used for algebraic operations with sparse and dense matrices, respectively. The MatrixSwitch and libOMM libraries, recently developed within the Electronic Structure Library, facilitate switching between different matrix formats and implement the energy minimization. We show results comparing the performance of several cubic-scaling algorithms, and also demonstrate the parallel performance of the linear-scaling solvers, and their supremacy over the cubic-scaling solvers for insulating systems with sizes of several hundreds of atoms.

Subsystem Density Functional Theory Augmented by a Delta Learning Approach to Achieve Kohn-Sham Accuracy

Simulations based on electronic structure theory naturally include polarization and have no transferability problems. In particular, Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT) has become the method of reference for ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of condensed matter systems. However, the high computational cost often poses strict limits on the affordable system size as well as on the extension of sampling (number of configurations). In this work, we propose an improvement to the subsystem density functional theory approach, known as the Kim-Gordon (KG) scheme, thus enabling the sampling of configurations for condensed molecular systems keeping the KS-DFT level accuracy at a fraction of computer time. Our scheme compensates the known KG shortcomings of the electronic kinetic energy term by adding a simple correction and can match KS-DFT accuracy in energies and forces. The computationally cheap correction is determined by means of a machine learning procedure. The proposed KG scheme is applied within a linear scaling self-consistent field formalism and is assessed by a series of molecular dynamics simulations of liquid water under different conditions. Although system-dependent, the correction is transferable between system sizes and temperatures.

Parallel Implementation of Large-Scale Linear Scaling Density Functional Theory Calculations With Numerical Atomic Orbitals in HONPAS

Linear-scaling density functional theory (DFT) is an efficient method to describe the electronic structures of molecules, semiconductors, and insulators to avoid the high cubic-scaling cost in conventional DFT calculations. Here, we present a parallel implementation of linear-scaling density matrix trace correcting (TC) purification algorithm to solve the Kohn-Sham (KS) equations with the numerical atomic orbitals in the HONPAS package. Such a linear-scaling density matrix purification algorithm is based on the Kohn's nearsightedness principle, resulting in a sparse Hamiltonian matrix with localized basis sets in the DFT calculations. Therefore, sparse matrix multiplication is the most time-consuming step in the density matrix purification algorithm for linear-scaling DFT calculations. We propose to use the MPI_Allgather function for parallel programming to deal with the sparse matrix multiplication within the compressed sparse row (CSR) format, which can scale up to hundreds of processing cores on modern heterogeneous supercomputers. We demonstrate the computational accuracy and efficiency of this parallel density matrix purification algorithm by performing large-scale DFT calculations on boron nitrogen nanotubes containing tens of thousands of atoms.

The CECAM electronic structure library and the modular software development paradigm

First-principles electronic structure calculations are now accessible to a very large community of users across many disciplines, thanks to many successful software packages, some of which are described in this special issue. The traditional coding paradigm for such packages is monolithic, i.e., regardless of how modular its internal structure may be, the code is built independently from others, essentially from the compiler up, possibly with the exception of linear-algebra and message-passing libraries. This model has endured and been quite successful for decades. The successful evolution of the electronic structure methodology itself, however, has resulted in an increasing complexity and an ever longer list of features expected within all software packages, which implies a growing amount of replication between different packages, not only in the initial coding but, more importantly, every time a code needs to be re-engineered to adapt to the evolution of computer hardware architecture. The Electronic Structure Library (ESL) was initiated by CECAM (the European Centre for Atomic and Molecular Calculations) to catalyze a paradigm shift away from the monolithic model and promote modularization, with the ambition to extract common tasks from electronic structure codes and redesign them as open-source libraries available to everybody. Such libraries include "heavy-duty" ones that have the potential for a high degree of parallelization and adaptation to novel hardware within them, thereby separating the sophisticated computer science aspects of performance optimization and re-engineering from the computational science done by, e.g., physicists and chemists when implementing new ideas. We envisage that this modular paradigm will improve overall coding efficiency and enable specialists (whether they be computer scientists or computational scientists) to use their skills more effectively and will lead to a more dynamic evolution of software in the community as well as lower barriers to entry for new developers. The model comes with new challenges, though. The building and compilation of a code based on many interdependent libraries (and their versions) is a much more complex task than that of a code delivered in a single self-contained package. Here, we describe the state of the ESL, the different libraries it now contains, the short- and mid-term plans for further libraries, and the way the new challenges are faced. The ESL is a community initiative into which several pre-existing codes and their developers have contributed with their software and efforts, from which several codes are already benefiting, and which remains open to the community.

CP2K: An electronic structure and molecular dynamics software package - Quickstep: Efficient and accurate electronic structure calculations

CP2K is an open source electronic structure and molecular dynamics software package to perform atomistic simulations of solid-state, liquid, molecular, and biological systems. It is especially aimed at massively parallel and linear-scaling electronic structure methods and state-of-the-art ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Excellent performance for electronic structure calculations is achieved using novel algorithms implemented for modern high-performance computing systems. This review revisits the main capabilities of CP2K to perform efficient and accurate electronic structure simulations. The emphasis is put on density functional theory and multiple post-Hartree-Fock methods using the Gaussian and plane wave approach and its augmented all-electron extension.

New scaling relations to compute atom-in-material polarizabilities and dispersion coefficients: part 2. Linear-scaling computational algorithms and parallelization

We present two algorithms to compute system-specific polarizabilities and dispersion coefficients such that required memory and computational time scale linearly with increasing number of atoms in the unit cell for large systems. The first algorithm computes the atom-in-material (AIM) static polarizability tensors, force-field polarizabilities, and C₆, C₈, C₉, C₁₀ dispersion coefficients using the MCLF method. The second algorithm computes the AIM polarizability tensors and C₆ coefficients using the TS-SCS method. Linear-scaling computational cost is achieved using a dipole interaction cutoff length function combined with iterative methods that avoid large dense matrix multiplies and large matrix inversions. For MCLF, Richardson extrapolation of the screening increments is used. For TS-SCS, a failproof conjugate residual (FCR) algorithm is introduced that solves any linear equation system having Hermitian coefficients matrix. These algorithms have mathematically provable stable convergence that resists round-off errors. We parallelized these methods to provide rapid computation on multi-core computers. Excellent parallelization efficiencies were obtained, and adding parallel processors does not significantly increase memory requirements. This enables system-specific polarizabilities and dispersion coefficients to be readily computed for materials containing millions of atoms in the unit cell. The largest example studied herein is an ice crystal containing >2 million atoms in the unit cell. For this material, the FCR algorithm solved a linear equation system containing >6 million rows, 7.57 billion interacting atom pairs, 45.4 billion stored non-negligible matrix components used in each large matrix-vector multiplication, and ∼19 million unknowns per frequency point (>300 million total unknowns).

Linear-scaling algorithms were developed to compute atom-in-material polarizabilities and dispersion coefficients using MCLF and TS-SCS methods.

Alloying-induced spin Seebeck effect and spin figure of merit in Pt-based bimetallic atomic wires of noble metals

The chemical potential of electrodes can be tuned to generate pure thermal spin voltages in certain bimetallic wires of noble metals.

High-accuracy large-scale DFT calculations using localized orbitals in complex electronic systems: the case of graphene-metal interfaces

Over many years, computational simulations based on density functional theory (DFT) have been used extensively to study many different materials at the atomic scale. However, its application is restricted by system size, leaving a number of interesting systems without a high-accuracy quantum description. In this work, we calculate the electronic and structural properties of a graphene-metal system significantly larger than in previous plane-wave calculations with the same accuracy. For this task we use a localised basis set with the Conquest code, both in their primitive, pseudo-atomic orbital form, and using a recent multi-site approach. This multi-site scheme allows us to maintain accuracy while saving computational time and memory requirements, even in our exemplar complex system of graphene grown on Rh(1 1 1) with and without intercalated atomic oxygen. This system offers a rich scenario that will serve as a benchmark, demonstrating that highly accurate simulations in cells with over 3000 atoms are feasible with modest computational resources.

Dissipation of the excess energy of the adsorbate-thermalization via electron transfer

A new scenario for the thermalization process of adsorbates at solid surfaces is proposed. The scenario is based on the existence of an electric dipole layer in which the electron wavefunctions extend over the positive ions, creating a strong local electric field which drags the electrons into the solid interior and repels the positive ions. During adsorption the electrons tunnel into the solid interior, conveying the excess energy. The positive ions are retarded by the field, losing the excess kinetic energy, and are located smoothly into the adsorption sites. In such a scheme, the excess energy is not dissipated locally, avoiding melting or the creation of defects which is in accordance with experiments. The scenario is supported by ab initio calculation results, including density function theory of the slabs representing the AlN surface and the Schrodinger equation for the time evolution of hydrogen-like atoms at the solid surface.

Classical and quantum many-body effects on the critical properties and thermodynamic regularities of silicon

Using molecular simulation, we determine the critical properties of Si as well as the loci for several remarkable thermodynamic contours spanning the supercritical region of the phase diagram. We consider a classical three-body potential as well as a quantum (tight-binding) many-body model, and determine the loci for the ideality contours, including the Zeno line and the H line of ideal enthalpy. The two strategies (classical or quantum) lead to strongly asymmetric binodals and to critical properties in good agreement with each other. The Zeno and H lines are found to remain linear over a wide temperature interval, despite the changes in electronic structure undergone by the fluid along these contours. We also show that the classical and quantum model yield markedly different results for the parameters defining the H line, the exponents for the power-laws underlying the line of minima for the isothermal enthalpy and for the density required to achieve ideal behavior, most notably for the enthalpy.

Evaluation of the grand-canonical partition function using expanded Wang-Landau simulations. IV. Performance of many-body force fields and tight-binding schemes for the fluid phases of silicon

We extend Expanded Wang-Landau (EWL) simulations beyond classical systems and develop the EWL method for systems modeled with a tight-binding Hamiltonian. We then apply the method to determine the partition function and thus all thermodynamic properties, including the Gibbs free energy and entropy, of the fluid phases of Si. We compare the results from quantum many-body (QMB) tight binding models, which explicitly calculate the overlap between the atomic orbitals of neighboring atoms, to those obtained with classical many-body (CMB) force fields, which allow to recover the tetrahedral organization in condensed phases of Si through, e.g., a repulsive 3-body term that favors the ideal tetrahedral angle. Along the vapor-liquid coexistence, between 3000 K and 6000 K, the densities for the two coexisting phases are found to vary significantly (by 5 orders of magnitude for the vapor and by up to 25% for the liquid) and to provide a stringent test of the models. Transitions from vapor to liquid are predicted to occur for chemical potentials that are 10%-15% higher for CMB models than for QMB models, and a ranking of the force fields is provided by comparing the predictions for the vapor pressure to the experimental data. QMB models also reveal the formation of a gap in the electronic density of states of the coexisting liquid at high temperatures. Subjecting Si to a nanoscopic confinement has a dramatic effect on the phase diagram with, e.g. at 6000 K, a decrease in liquid densities by about 50% for both CMB and QMB models and an increase in vapor densities between 90% (CMB) and 170% (QMB). The results presented here provide a full picture of the impact of the strategy (CMB or QMB) chosen to model many-body effects on the thermodynamic properties of the fluid phases of Si.

Optical absorption and electronic spectra of chlorophylls a and b

We report optical and electronic properties of the two main chlorophylls in green plants, namely, chlorophylls a and b. We estimate the electric moments of these molecules and study absorption spectra of the chlorophylls.

Electrostatic interactions in finite systems treated with periodic boundary conditions: application to linear-scaling density functional theory

We present a comparison of methods for treating the electrostatic interactions of finite, isolated systems within periodic boundary conditions (PBCs), within density functional theory (DFT), with particular emphasis on linear-scaling (LS) DFT. Often, PBCs are not physically realistic but are an unavoidable consequence of the choice of basis set and the efficacy of using Fourier transforms to compute the Hartree potential. In such cases the effects of PBCs on the calculations need to be avoided, so that the results obtained represent the open rather than the periodic boundary. The very large systems encountered in LS-DFT make the demands of the supercell approximation for isolated systems more difficult to manage, and we show cases where the open boundary (infinite cell) result cannot be obtained from extrapolation of calculations from periodic cells of increasing size. We discuss, implement, and test three very different approaches for overcoming or circumventing the effects of PBCs: truncation of the Coulomb interaction combined with padding of the simulation cell, approaches based on the minimum image convention, and the explicit use of open boundary conditions (OBCs). We have implemented these approaches in the ONETEP LS-DFT program and applied them to a range of systems, including a polar nanorod and a protein. We compare their accuracy, complexity, and rate of convergence with simulation cell size. We demonstrate that corrective approaches within PBCs can achieve the OBC result more efficiently and accurately than pure OBC approaches.

O(N) methods in electronic structure calculations

Linear-scaling methods, or O(N) methods, have computational and memory requirements which scale linearly with the number of atoms in the system, N, in contrast to standard approaches which scale with the cube of the number of atoms. These methods, which rely on the short-ranged nature of electronic structure, will allow accurate, ab initio simulations of systems of unprecedented size. The theory behind the locality of electronic structure is described and related to physical properties of systems to be modelled, along with a survey of recent developments in real-space methods which are important for efficient use of high-performance computers. The linear-scaling methods proposed to date can be divided into seven different areas, and the applicability, efficiency and advantages of the methods proposed in these areas are then discussed. The applications of linear-scaling methods, as well as the implementations available as computer programs, are considered. Finally, the prospects for and the challenges facing linear-scaling methods are discussed.

Mixed Approach to Incorporate Self-Consistency into Order-N LCAO Methods

We present a method for selfconsistent Density Functional Theory calculations in which the effort required is proportional to the size of the system, thus allowing the aplication to problems with a very large size. The method is based on the LCAO approximation, and uses a mixed approach to obtain the Hamiltonian integrals between atomic orbitals with Order-N effort. We show the performance and the convergence properties of the method in several silicon and carbon systems, and in a DNA periodic chain.

Normal mode analysis and applications in biological physics

Normal mode analysis has become a popular and often used theoretical tool in the study of functional motions in enzymes, viruses, and large protein assemblies. The use of normal modes in the study of these motions is often extremely fruitful since many of the functional motions of large proteins can be described using just a few normal modes which are intimately related to the overall structure of the protein. In this review, we present a broad overview of several popular methods used in the study of normal modes in biological physics including continuum elastic theory, the elastic network model, and a new all-atom method, recently developed, which is capable of computing a subset of the low frequency vibrational modes exactly. After a review of the various methods, we present several examples of applications of normal modes in the study of functional motions, with an emphasis on viral capsids.

Equivalent potential of water for the electronic structure of glycine

First-principles, all-electron, ab initio calculations have been performed to construct an equivalent potential of water for the electronic structure of glycine (Gly) in solution. The calculation involved three steps. The first step was to search for the minimum-energy geometric structure of the Gly + nH₂O system. The second step was to calculate the electronic structure of Gly with the potential of water molecules via the self-consistent cluster-embedding method (SCCE), based on the result obtained in the first step. The last step was to calculate the electronic structure of Gly with the potential of dipoles after replacing the water molecules with dipoles. The results show that the occupied molecular orbitals of Gly are raised by about 0.0524 Ry on average due to the effect of water. The effect of water can be simulated well using the dipole potential. The equivalent potential obtained can be applied directly to electronic structure calculations of proteins in solution using the SCCE method.

All-atom normal-mode analysis reveals an RNA-induced allostery in a bacteriophage coat protein

Assembly of the T=3 bacteriophage MS2 is initiated by the binding of a 19 nucleotide RNA stem loop from within the phage genome to a symmetric coat protein dimer. This binding event effects a folding of the FG loop in one of the protein subunits of the dimer and results in the formation of an asymmetric dimer. Since both the symmetric and asymmetric forms of the dimer are needed for the assembly of the protein container, this allosteric switch plays an important role in the life cycle of the phage. We provide here details of an all-atom normal-mode analysis of this allosteric effect. The results suggest that asymmetric contacts between the A -duplex RNA phosphodiester backbone of the stem loop with the EF loop in one coat protein subunit results in an increased dynamic behavior of its FG loop. The four lowest-frequency modes, which encompass motions predominantly on the FG loops, account for over 90% of the increased dynamic behavior due to a localization of the vibrational pattern on a single FG loop. Finally, we show that an analysis of the allosteric effect using an elastic network model fails to predict this localization effect, highlighting the importance of using an all-atom full force field method for this problem.

First-principles study of electron transport through the single-molecule magnet Mn12

We examine electron transport through a single-molecule magnet Mn(12) bridged between Au electrodes using the first-principles method. We find crucial features which were inaccessible in model Hamiltonian studies: spin filtering and a strong dependence of charge distribution on local environments. The spin filtering remains robust with different molecular geometries and interfaces, and strong electron correlations, while the charge distribution over the Mn(12) strongly depends on them. We point out a qualitative difference between locally charged and free-electron-charged Mn(12).

Theory of the low frequency mechanical modes and Raman spectra of the M13 bacteriophage capsid with atomic detail

We present a theoretical study of the low frequency vibrational modes of the M13 bacteriophage using a fully atomistic model. Using ideas from electronic structure theory, the few lowest vibrational modes of the M13 bacteriophage are determined using classical harmonic analysis. The relative Raman intensity is estimated for each of the mechanical modes using a bond polarizability model. Comparison of the atomic mechanical modes calculated here with modes derived from elastic continuum theory shows that a much richer spectrum emerges from an atomistic picture.

Linear-scaling quantum calculations using non-orthogonal localized molecular orbitals

An absolute energy minimum variational principle is used for carrying out linear scaling calculations with non-orthogonal localized orbitals. Compared with results based on orthogonal localized molecular orbitals, the method is shown to give significantly more accurate results when the localized molecular orbitals are allowed to be non-orthogonal. This is made possible by introducing a second minimization for approximating the inverse overlap matrix. We also show how an exact line search may be used efficiently with the conjugate gradient method for minimizing the energy functional.

The equivalent potential of water for electronic structure of aspartic acid

The equivalent potential of water for the electronic structure of aspartic acid (Asp(-)) in solution is constructed by the first-principles, all-electrons, ab initio calculations. Aspartic acid is a hydrophilic amino acid which is negatively charged in neutral water solution. The main process of calculation consists of three steps. Firstly, the geometric structure of the cluster containing Asp(-) and water molecules is calculated by the free cluster calculation. Then, based on the obtained geometric structure, the electronic structure of Asp(-) with the potential of water molecules is calculated using the self-consistent cluster-embedding method. Finally, the electronic structure of Asp(-) with the potential of dipoles is calculated. The results show that the major effect of water on Asp(-)'s electronic structure is lowering the occupied molecular orbitals by about 0.02 Ry on average, and narrowing energy gap by 10.8%. The effect of water on the electronic structure of Asp(-) can be simulated by dipoles potential.

The SIESTA method; developments and applicability

Recent developments in and around the SIESTA method of first-principles simulation of condensed matter are described and reviewed, with emphasis on (i) the applicability of the method for large and varied systems, (ii) efficient basis sets for the standards of accuracy of density-functional methods, (iii) new implementations, and (iv) extensions beyond ground-state calculations.

Low frequency mechanical modes of viral capsids: an atomistic approach

We present a method for the calculation of the low frequency vibrational modes and frequencies of viral capsids, or other large molecules, where the modes are modeled with atomic detail. Extending ideas from electronic structure theory, an energy functional is used to find modes of a classical dynamical matrix below a fixed (pseudo-Fermi) level. The icosahedral satellite tobacco necrosis virus is modeled as an example. We find that atoms around the C5 and C3 axis have small relative displacement while the beta sheet body shows gliding motion.

Ab initio molecular dynamics with discrete variable representation basis sets: techniques and application to liquid water

Finite temperature ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), in which forces are obtained from "on-the-fly" electronic structure calculations, is a widely used technique for studying structural and dynamical properties of chemically active systems. Recently, we introduced an AIMD scheme based on discrete variable representation (DVR) basis sets, which was shown to have improved convergence properties over the conventional plane wave (PW) basis set [Liu,Y.; et al. Phys. Rev. B 2003, 68, 125110]. In the present work, the numerical algorithms for the DVR based AIMD scheme (DVR/AIMD) are provided in detail, and the latest developments of the approach are presented. The accuracy and stability of the current implementation of the DVR/AIMD scheme are tested by performing a simulation of liquid water at ambient conditions. The structural information obtained from the present work is in good agreement with the result of recent AIMD simulations with a PW basis set (PW/AIMD). Advantages of using the DVR/AIMD scheme over the PW/AIMD method are discussed. In particular, it is shown that a DVR/AIMD simulation of liquid water in the complete basis set limit is possible with a relatively small number of grid points.

Linear scaling calculation of band edge states and doped semiconductors

Linear scaling methods provide total energy, but no energy levels and canonical wave functions. From the density matrix computed through the density matrix purification methods, we propose an order-N [O(N)] method for calculating both the energies and wave functions of band edge states, which are important for optical properties and chemical reactions. In addition, we also develop an O(N) algorithm to deal with doped semiconductors based on the O(N) method for band edge states calculation. We illustrate the O(N) behavior of the new method by applying it to boron nitride (BN) nanotubes and BN nanotubes with an adsorbed hydrogen atom. The band gap of various BN nanotubes are investigated systematically and the acceptor levels of BN nanotubes with an isolated adsorbed H atom are computed. Our methods are simple, robust, and especially suited for the application in self-consistent field electronic structure theory.

LocalSCF method for semiempirical quantum-chemical calculation of ultralarge biomolecules

A linear-scaling semiempirical method, LocalSCF, has been proposed for the quantum-chemical calculations of ultralarge molecular systems by treating the large-scale molecular task as a variational problem. The method resolves the self-consistent field task through the finite atomic expansion of weakly nonorthogonal localized molecular orbitals. The inverse overlap matrix arising from the nonorthogonality of the localized orbitals is approximated by preserving the first-order perturbation term and applying the second-order correction by means of a penalty function. This allows for the separation of the orbital expansion procedure from the self-consistent field optimization of linear coefficients, thereby maintaining the localized molecular orbital size unchanged during the refinement of linear coefficients. Orbital normalization is preserved analytically by the variation of virtual degrees of freedom, which are orthogonal to the initial orbitals. Optimization of linear coefficients of localized orbitals is performed by a gradient procedure. The computer program running on a commodity personal computer was applied to the GroEL-GroES chaperonin complex containing 119,273 atoms.