Essentials of relativistic quantum chemistry

Predicting the FCI Energy of Large Systems to Chemical Accuracy from Restricted Active Space Density Matrix Renormalization Group Calculations

We theoretically derive and validate with large scale simulations a remarkably accurate power law scaling of errors for the restricted active space density matrix renormalization group (DMRG-RAS) method [J. Phys. Chem. A 126, 9709] in electronic structure calculations. This yields a new extrapolation method, DMRG-RAS-X, which reaches chemical accuracy for strongly correlated systems such as the chromium dimer, dicarbon up to a large cc-pVQZ basis and even a large chemical complex such as the FeMoco with significantly lower computational demands than those of previous methods. The method is free of empirical parameters, performed robustly and reliably in all examples we tested, and has the potential to become a vital alternative method for electronic structure calculations in quantum chemistry and more generally for the computation of strong correlations in nuclear and condensed matter physics.

Exploring Locality in Molecular Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Calculations: A Perspective

The Dirac-Coulomb-Breit (DCB) operator is widely recognized for its ability to accurately capture relativistic effects and spin-physics in molecular calculations. However, due to its high computational cost, there is a need to develop low-scaling approximations without compromising accuracy. To tackle this challenge, it becomes essential to gain a deeper understanding of the DCB operator's behavior. This work aims to explore local integral approximations, shedding light on the locality of the parts of the charge-current distribution due to the small component. In particular, we propose an atomic Breit approximation that leverages an analysis of the behavior observed in a series of gold chains. Through benchmark studies of metal complexes, we evaluated the accuracy and performance of the proposed atomic Breit approximation. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the charge-current distribution in terms of its contributions from its AO basis constituents, facilitating the development of low-scaling methods that strike a balance between computational efficiency and accuracy.

Zero-field splitting parameters within exact two-component theory and modern density functional theory using seminumerical integration

An efficient implementation of zero-field splitting parameters based on the work of Schmitt et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 134, 194113 (2011)] is presented. Seminumerical integration techniques are used for the two-electron spin-dipole contribution and the response equations of the spin-orbit perturbation. The original formulation is further generalized. First, it is extended to meta-generalized gradient approximations and local hybrid functionals. For these functional classes, the response of the paramagnetic current density is considered in the coupled-perturbed Kohn-Sham equations for the spin-orbit perturbation term. Second, the spin-orbit perturbation is formulated within relativistic exact two-component theory and the screened nuclear spin-orbit (SNSO) approximation. The accuracy of the implementation is demonstrated for transition-metal and diatomic main-group compounds. The efficiency is assessed for Mn and Mo complexes. Here, it is found that coarse integration grids for the seminumerical schemes lead to drastic speedups while introducing clearly negligible errors. In addition, the SNSO approximation substantially reduces the computational demands and leads to very similar results as the spin-orbit mean field Ansatz.

Exact two-component theory becoming an efficient tool for NMR shieldings and shifts with spin-orbit coupling

We present a gauge-origin invariant exact two-component (X2C) approach within a modern density functional framework, supporting meta-generalized gradient approximations such as TPSS and range-separated hybrid functionals such as CAM-B3LYP. The complete exchange-correlation kernel is applied, including the direct contribution of the field-dependent basis functions and the reorthonormalization contribution from the perturbed overlap matrix. Additionally, the finite nucleus model is available for the electron-nucleus potential and the vector potential throughout. Efficiency is ensured by the diagonal local approximation to the unitary decoupling transformation in X2C as well as the (multipole-accelerated) resolution of the identity approximation for the Coulomb term (MARI-J, RI-J) and the seminumerical exchange approximation. Errors introduced by these approximations are assessed and found to be clearly negligible. The applicability of our implementation to large-scale calculations is demonstrated for a tin pincer-type system as well as low-valent tin and lead complexes. Here, the calculation of the Sn nuclear magnetic resonance shifts for the pincer-type ligand with about 2400 basis functions requires less than 1 h for hybrid density functionals. Further, the impact of spin-orbit coupling on the nucleus-independent chemical shifts and the corresponding ring currents of all-metal aromatic systems is studied.

Corrigendum: Coupled cluster theory on modern heterogeneous supercomputers

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1154526.].

A relativistic configuration interaction method with general expansions and initial applications to electronic g-factors

A new implementation of the orbital-based two-component relativistic configuration interaction approach is reported and applied to calculations of the electronic g-shifts of three diatomic radicals: AlO, HgF, and PdH. The new implementation augments efficient routines for the calculation of nonrelativistic Hamiltonians with new vectorized routines for the calculation of the action of the one-electron spin-orbit operator and allows efficient calculations for the expansion of generalized active space type. The program makes full use of double group as well as time-reversal symmetry. Particle-hole reorganization of the operators is used to improve the efficiency for expansions with nearly fully occupied orbital spaces. The flexibility of the algorithm and program is used to investigate the convergence of electronic g-shifts for the three diatomic radicals as functions of the active space, states included in the orbital optimization, and excitation levels. It was possible to converge to the valence limits within a few percent using expansions containing up to quadruple excitations. However, when excitations from the core orbitals were added, it was not possible to demonstrate convergence to within a few percent with expansions containing at most 10 × 109 determinants.

Core Excitations of Uranyl in Cs2UO2Cl4 from Relativistic Embedded Damped Response Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Calculations

X-ray spectroscopies, by their high selectivity and sensitivity to the chemical environment around the atoms probed, provide significant insights into the electronic structures of molecules and materials. Interpreting experimental results requires reliable theoretical models, accounting for environmental, relativistic, electron correlation, and orbital relaxation effects in a balanced manner. In this work, we present a protocol for the simulation of core excited spectra with damped response time-dependent density functional theory based on the Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian (4c-DR-TD-DFT), in which environmental effects are accounted for through the frozen density embedding (FDE) method. We showcase this approach for the uranium M4- and L3-edges and oxygen K-edge of the uranyl tetrachloride (UO2Cl42-) unit as found in a host Cs2UO2Cl4 crystal. We have found that the 4c-DR-TD-DFT simulations yield excitation spectra that very closely match the experiment for the uranium M4-edge and the oxygen K-edge, with good agreement for the broad experimental spectra for the L3-edge. By decomposing the complex polarizability in terms of its components, we have been able to correlate our results with angle-resolved spectra. We have observed that for all edges, but in particular the uranium M4-edge, an embedded model in which the chloride ligands are replaced by an embedding potential reproduces rather well the spectral profile obtained for UO2Cl42-. Our results underscore the importance of the equatorial ligands to simulating core spectra at both uranium and oxygen edges.

Coupled cluster theory on modern heterogeneous supercomputers

This study examines the computational challenges in elucidating intricate chemical systems, particularly through ab-initio methodologies. This work highlights the Divide-Expand-Consolidate (DEC) approach for coupled cluster (CC) theory-a linear-scaling, massively parallel framework-as a viable solution. Detailed scrutiny of the DEC framework reveals its extensive applicability for large chemical systems, yet it also acknowledges inherent limitations. To mitigate these constraints, the cluster perturbation theory is presented as an effective remedy. Attention is then directed towards the CPS (D-3) model, explicitly derived from a CC singles parent and a doubles auxiliary excitation space, for computing excitation energies. The reviewed new algorithms for the CPS (D-3) method efficiently capitalize on multiple nodes and graphical processing units, expediting heavy tensor contractions. As a result, CPS (D-3) emerges as a scalable, rapid, and precise solution for computing molecular properties in large molecular systems, marking it an efficient contender to conventional CC models.

Scalar Breit interaction for molecular calculations

Variational treatment of the Dirac-Coulomb-Gaunt or Dirac-Coulomb-Breit two-electron interaction at the Dirac-Hartree-Fock level is the starting point of high-accuracy four-component calculations of atomic and molecular systems. In this work, we introduce, for the first time, the scalar Hamiltonians derived from the Dirac-Coulomb-Gaunt and Dirac-Coulomb-Breit operators based on spin separation in the Pauli quaternion basis. While the widely used spin-free Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian includes only the direct Coulomb and exchange terms that resemble nonrelativistic two-electron interactions, the scalar Gaunt operator adds a scalar spin-spin term. The spin separation of the gauge operator gives rise to an additional scalar orbit-orbit interaction in the scalar Breit Hamiltonian. Benchmark calculations of Aun (n = 2-8) show that the scalar Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian can capture 99.99% of the total energy with only 10% of the computational cost when real-valued arithmetic is used, compared to the full Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian. The scalar relativistic formulation developed in this work lays the theoretical foundation for the development of high-accuracy, low-cost correlated variational relativistic many-body theory.

Reducing Exact Two-Component Theory for NMR Couplings to a One-Component Approach: Efficiency and Accuracy

The self-consistent and complex spin-orbit exact two-component (X2C) formalism for NMR spin-spin coupling constants [ J. Chem. Theory Comput. 17, 2021, 3874-3994] is reduced to a scalar one-component ansatz. This way, the first-order response term can be partitioned into the Fermi-contact (FC) and spin-dipole (SD) interactions as well as the paramagnetic spin-orbit (PSO) contribution. The FC+SD terms are real and symmetric, while the PSO term is purely imaginary and antisymmetric. The relativistic one-component approach is combined with a modern density functional treatment up to local hybrid functionals including the response of the current density. Computational demands are reduced by factors of 8-24 as shown for a large tin compound consisting of 137 atoms. Limitations of the current ansatz are critically assessed for Sn, Pb, Pd, and Pt compounds, i.e. the one-component treatment is not sufficient for tin compounds featuring a few heavy halogen atoms.

Introducing MPEC: Massively parallel electron correlation

We have developed a new program for carrying out improved internally contracted Multi-reference Configuration Interaction Singles and Doubles (i²cMRCISD) calculations. It is designed from the ground up to be used on distributed memory parallel computers. Tests show good scaling properties with the number of cores per node and the number nodes. This program features Gaussian basis sets with ℓ > 6; scalar special relativity via the spin-free method; convergence to C_∞v, D_∞v, or spherical electronic states; special code to determine Rydberg orbitals; both uncontracted and contracted MRCISD wavefunctions; one and two electron properties, including full spin-orbit matrix elements with the Breit interaction; analytic calculation of Born-Oppenheimer diagonal correction for multi-configuration Hartree-Fock wavefunctions; and analytic calculation of second order Born-Oppenheimer corrections for Hartree-Fock wavefunctions. The program can be obtained from software.nasa.gov.

On the origins of spontaneous spherical symmetry-breaking in open-shell atoms through polymer self-consistent field theory

An alternative approach to density functional theory based on self-consistent field theory for ring polymers is applied to neutral atoms hydrogen to neon in their ground-states. The spontaneous emergence of an atomic shell structure and spherical symmetry-breaking of the total electron density are predicted by the model using the ideas of polymer excluded-volume between pairs of electrons to enforce the Pauli-exclusion principle and an exact electron self-interaction correction. The Pauli potential is approximated by neglecting inter-atomic correlations along with other types of correlations, and comparisons to Hartree-Fock theory are made, which also ignores correlations. The model shows excellent agreement with Hartree-Fock theory to within the standards of orbital-free density functional theory for the atomic binding energies and density profiles of the first six elements, providing exact matches for the elements hydrogen and helium. The predicted shell structure starts to deviate significantly past the element neon, and spherical symmetry-breaking is first predicted to occur at carbon instead of boron. The self-consistent field theory energy functional that describes the model is decomposed into thermodynamic components to trace the origin of spherical symmetry-breaking. It is found to arise from the electron density approaching closer to the nucleus in non-spherical distributions, which lowers the energy despite resulting in frustration between the quantum kinetic energy, electron-electron interaction, and the Pauli exclusion interaction. The symmetry-breaking effect is found to have a minimal impact on the binding energies, which suggests that the spherical-averaging approximation used in previous work is physically reasonable when investigating atomic systems. The pair density contour plots display behavior similar to polymer macro-phase separation, where individual electron pairs occupy single lobe structures that together form a dumbbell shape analogous to the 2p orbital shape. It is further shown that the predicted densities satisfy known constraints and produce the same total electronic density profile that is predicted by other formulations of quantum mechanics.

Correlated Dirac-Coulomb-Breit multiconfigurational self-consistent-field methods

The fully correlated frequency-independent Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian provides the most accurate description of electron-electron interaction before going to a genuine relativistic quantum electrodynamics theory of many-electron systems. In this work, we introduce a correlated Dirac-Coulomb-Breit multiconfigurational self-consistent-field method within the frameworks of complete active space and density matrix renormalization group. In this approach, the Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian is included variationally in both the mean-field and correlated electron treatment. We also analyze the importance of the Breit operator in electron correlation and the rotation between the positive- and negative-orbital space in the no-virtual-pair approximation. Atomic fine-structure splittings and lanthanide contraction in diatomic fluorides are used as benchmark studies to understand the contribution from the Breit correlation.

Divide-and-Conquer Linear-Scaling Quantum Chemical Computations

Fragmentation and embedding schemes are of great importance when applying quantum-chemical calculations to more complex and attractive targets. The divide-and-conquer (DC)-based quantum-chemical model is a fragmentation scheme that can be connected to embedding schemes. This feature article explains several DC-based schemes developed by the authors over the last two decades, which was inspired by the pioneering study of DC self-consistent field (SCF) method by Yang and Lee (J. Chem. Phys. 1995, 103, 5674-5678). First, the theoretical aspects of the DC-based SCF, electron correlation, excited-state, and nuclear orbital methods are described, followed by the two-component relativistic theory, quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics simulation, and the introduction of three programs, including DC-based schemes. Illustrative applications confirmed the accuracy and feasibility of the DC-based schemes.

Self-Adaptive Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory for X-ray Absorptions

Real-time time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) can in principle access the whole absorption spectrum of a many-electron system exposed to a narrow pulse. However, this requires an accurate and efficient propagator for the numerical integration of the time-dependent Kohn-Sham equation. While a low-order time propagator is already sufficient for the low-lying valence absorption spectra, it is no longer the case for the X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) of systems composed even only of light elements, for which the use of a high-order propagator is indispensable. It is then crucial to choose a largest possible time step and a shortest possible simulation time, so as to minimize the computational cost. To this end, we propose here a robust AutoPST approach to determine automatically (Auto) the propagator (P), step (S), and time (T) for relativistic RT-TDDFT simulations of XAS.

Assessing the performance of ΔSCF and the diagonal second-order self-energy approximation for calculating vertical core excitation energies

Vertical core excitation energies are obtained using a combination of the ΔSCF method and the diagonal second-order (D2) self-energy approximation. These methods are applied to a set of neutral molecules and their anionic forms. An assessment of the results with the inclusion of relativistic effects is presented. For core excitations involving delocalized symmetry orbitals, the applied composite method improves upon the overestimation of ΔSCF by providing approximate values close to experimental K-shell transition energies. The importance of both correlation and relaxation contributions to the vertical core-excited state energies, the concept of local and non-local core orbitals, and the consequences of breaking symmetry are discussed.

Paramagnetic NMR Shielding Tensors Based on Scalar Exact Two-Component and Spin-Orbit Perturbation Theory

The temperature-dependent Fermi-contact and pseudocontact terms are important contributions to the paramagnetic NMR shielding tensor. Herein, we augment the scalar-relativistic (local) exact two-component (X2C) framework with spin-orbit perturbation theory including the screened nuclear spin-orbit correction for the EPR hyperfine coupling and g tensor to compute these temperature-dependent terms. The accuracy of this perturbative ansatz is assessed with the self-consistent spin-orbit two-component and four-component treatments serving as reference. This shows that the Fermi-contact and pseudocontact interaction is sufficiently described for paramagnetic NMR shifts; however, larger deviations are found for the EPR spectra and the principle components of the EPR properties of heavy elements. The impact of the perturbative treatment is further compared to that of the density functional approximation and the basis set. Large-scale calculations are routinely possible with the multipole-accelerated resolution of the identity approximation and the seminumerical exchange approximation, as shown for [CeTi₆O₃(OiPr)₉(salicylate)₆].

Efficient Evaluation of the Breit Operator in the Pauli Spinor Basis

The frequency-independent Coulomb-Breit operator gives rise to the most accurate treatment of two-electron interaction in the non-quantum-electrodynamics regime. The Breit interaction in the Coulomb gauge consists of magnetic and gauge contributions. The high computational cost of the gauge term limits the application of the Breit interaction in relativistic molecular calculations. In this work, we apply the Pauli component integral-density matrix contraction scheme for gauge interaction with a maximum spin- and component separation scheme. We also present two different computational algorithms for evaluating gauge integrals. One is the generalized Obara-Saika algorithm, where the Laplace transformation is used to transform the gauge operator into Gaussian functions and the Obara-Saika recursion is used for reducing the angular momentum. The other algorithm is the second derivative of inverse Coulomb interaction evaluated with Rys-quadrature. This work improves the efficiency of performing Dirac-Hartree-Fock with variational treatment of Breit interaction for molecular systems. We use this formalism to examine relativistic trends in the periodic table, and analyze the relativistic two-electron interaction contributions in heavy-element complexes.

Stochastic evaluation of four-component relativistic second-order many-body perturbation energies: A potentially quadratic-scaling correlation method

A second-order many-body perturbation correction to the relativistic Dirac-Hartree-Fock energy is evaluated stochastically by integrating 13-dimensional products of four-component spinors and Coulomb potentials. The integration in the real space of electron coordinates is carried out by the Monte Carlo (MC) method with the Metropolis sampling, whereas the MC integration in the imaginary-time domain is performed by the inverse-CDF (cumulative distribution function) method. The computational cost to reach a given relative statistical error for spatially compact but heavy molecules is observed to be no worse than cubic and possibly quadratic with the number of electrons or basis functions. This is a vast improvement over the quintic scaling of the conventional, deterministic second-order many-body perturbation method. The algorithm is also easily and efficiently parallelized with demonstrated 92% strong scalability going from 64 to 4096 processors for a fixed job size.

Uranium: The Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Beyond

This review summarizes the recent developments regarding the use of uranium as nuclear fuel, including recycling and health aspects, elucidated from a chemical point of view, i.e., emphasizing the rich uranium coordination chemistry, which has also raised interest in using uranium compounds in synthesis and catalysis. A number of novel uranium coordination features are addressed, such the emerging number of U(II) complexes and uranium nitride complexes as a promising class of materials for more efficient and safer nuclear fuels. The current discussion about uranium triple bonds is addressed by quantum chemical investigations using local vibrational mode force constants as quantitative bond strength descriptors based on vibrational spectroscopy. The local mode analysis of selected uranium nitrides, N≡U≡N, U≡N, N≡U=NH and N≡U=O, could confirm and quantify, for the first time, that these molecules exhibit a UN triple bond as hypothesized in the literature. We hope that this review will inspire the community interested in uranium chemistry and will serve as an incubator for fruitful collaborations between theory and experimentation in exploring the wealth of uranium chemistry.

Exact-Two-Component Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory

Molecules containing late-row elements exhibit large relativistic effects. To account for both relativistic effects and electron correlation in a computationally inexpensive way, we derived a formulation of multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory with the relativistic exact-two-component Hamiltonian (X2C-MC-PDFT). In this new method, relativistic effects are included during variational optimization of a reference wave function by exact-two-component complete active-space self-consistent-field (X2C-CASSCF) theory, followed by an energy evaluation using pair-density functional theory. Benchmark studies of excited-state and ground-state fine-structure splitting of atomic species show that X2C-MC-PDFT can significantly improve the X2C-CASSCF results by introducing additional state-specific electron correlation.

SOiCI and iCISO: combining iterative configuration interaction with spin-orbit coupling in two ways

The near-exact iCIPT2 approach for strongly correlated systems of electrons, which stems from the combination of iterative configuration interaction (iCI, an exact solver of full CI) with configuration selection for static correlation and second-order perturbation theory (PT2) for dynamic correlation, is extended to the relativistic domain. In the spirit of spin separation, relativistic effects are treated in two steps: scalar relativity is treated by the infinite-order, spin-free part of the exact two-component (X2C) relativistic Hamiltonian, whereas spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is treated by the first-order, Douglas-Kroll-Hess-like SOC operator derived from the same X2C Hamiltonian. Two possible combinations of iCIPT2 with SOC are considered, i.e., SOiCI and iCISO. The former treats SOC and electron correlation on an equal footing, whereas the latter treats SOC in the spirit of state interaction, by constructing and diagonalizing an effective spin-orbit Hamiltonian matrix in a small number of correlated scalar states. Both double group and time reversal symmetries are incorporated to simplify the computation. Pilot applications reveal that SOiCI is very accurate for the spin-orbit splitting (SOS) of heavy atoms, whereas the computationally very cheap iCISO can safely be applied to the SOS of light atoms and even of systems containing heavy atoms when SOC is largely quenched by ligand fields.

Quasi-Relativistic Calculation of EPR g Tensors with Derivatives of the Decoupling Transformation, Gauge-Including Atomic Orbitals, and Magnetic Balance

We present an exact two-component (X2C) ansatz for the EPR g tensor using gauge-including atomic orbitals (GIAOs) and a magnetically balanced basis set expansion. In contrast to previous X2C and four-component relativistic ansätze for the g tensor, this implementation results in a gauge-origin-invariant formalism. Furthermore, the derivatives of the relativistic decoupling matrix are incorporated to form the complete analytical derivative of the X2C Hamiltonian. To reduce the associated computational costs, we apply the diagonal local approximation to the unitary decoupling transformation (DLU). The quasi-relativistic X2C and DLU-X2C Hamiltonians accurately reproduce the results of the parent four-component relativistic theory when accounting for two-electron picture-change effects with the modified screened nuclear spin-orbit approximation in the respective one-electron integrals and integral derivatives. According to our benchmark studies, the uncontracted Dyall and segmented-contracted Karlsruhe x2c-type basis sets perform well when compared to large even-tempered basis sets. Moreover, (range-separated) hybrid density functional approximations such as LC-ωPBE and ωB97X-D are needed to match the experimental findings. The impact of the GIAOs depends on the distribution of the spin density, and their use may change the Δg shifts by 10-50% as shown for [(C₅Me₅)₂Y(μ-S)₂Mo(μ-S)₂Y(C₅Me₅)₂]^-. Routine calculations of large molecules are possible with widely available and comparably low-cost hardware as demonstrated for [Pt(C₆Cl₅)₄]^- with 3003 basis functions and three spin-(1/2) La(II) and Lu(II) compounds, for which we observe good agreement with the experimental findings.

Ab initio calculations in atoms, molecules, and solids, treating spin-orbit coupling and electron interaction on an equal footing

We incorporate explicit, non-perturbative treatment of spin-orbit coupling into ab initio auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) calculations. The approach allows a general computational framework for molecular and bulk systems in which material specificity, electron correlation, and spin-orbit coupling effects can be captured accurately and on an equal footing, with favorable computational scaling vs system size. We adopt relativistic effective-core potentials that have been obtained by fitting to fully relativistic data and that have demonstrated a high degree of reliability and transferability in molecular systems. This results in a two-component spin-coupled Hamiltonian, which is then treated by generalizing the ab initio AFQMC approach. We demonstrate the method by computing the electron affinity in Pb, the bond dissociation energy in Br₂ and I₂, and solid Bi.

The Static-Dynamic-Static Family of Methods for Strongly Correlated Electrons: Methodology and Benchmarking

A series of methods (SDSCI, SDSPT2, iCI, iCIPT2, iCISCF(2), iVI, and iCAS) is introduced to accurately describe strongly correlated systems of electrons. Born from the (restricted) static-dynamic-static (SDS) framework for designing many-electron wave functions, SDSCI is a minimal multireference (MR) configuration interaction (CI) approach that constructs and diagonalizes a [Formula: see text] matrix for [Formula: see text] states, regardless of the numbers of orbitals and electrons to be correlated. If the full molecular Hamiltonian H in the QHQ block (which describes couplings between functions of the first-order interaction space Q) of the SDSCI CI matrix is replaced with a zeroth-order Hamiltonian [Formula: see text] before the diagonalization is taken, we obtain SDSPT2, a CI-like second-order perturbation theory (PT2). Unlike most variants of MRPT2, SDSPT2 treats single and multiple states in the same way and is particularly advantageous in the presence of near degeneracy. On the other hand, if the SDSCI procedure is repeated until convergence, we will have iterative CI (iCI), which can converge quickly from the above to the exact solutions (full CI) even when starting with a poor guess. When further combined with the selection of important configurations followed by a PT2 treatment of dynamic correlation, iCI becomes iCIPT2, which is a near-exact theory for medium-sized systems. The microiterations of iCI for relaxing the coefficients of contracted many-electron functions can be generalized to an iterative vector interaction (iVI) approach for finding exterior or interior roots of a given matrix, in which the dimension of the search subspace is fixed by either the number of target roots or the user-specified energy window. Naturally, iCIPT2 can be employed as the active space solver of the complete active space (CAS) self-consistent field, leading to iCISCF(2), which can further be combined with iCAS for automated selection of active orbitals and assurance of the same CAS for all states and all geometries. The methods are calibrated by taking the Thiel set of benchmark systems as examples. Results for the corresponding cations, a new set of benchmark systems, are also reported.

Electronic spectra of ytterbium fluoride from relativistic electronic structure calculations

We report an investigation of the low-lying excited states of the YbF molecule-a candidate molecule for experimental measurements of the electron electric dipole moment-with 2-component based multi-reference configuration interaction (MRCI), equation of motion coupled cluster (EOM-CCSD) and the extrapolated intermediate Hamiltonian Fock-space coupled cluster (XIHFS-CCSD). Specifically, we address the question of the nature of these low-lying states in terms of configurations containing filled or partially-filled Yb 4f shells. We show that while it does not appear possible to carry out calculations with both kinds of configurations contained in the same active space, reliable information can be extracted from different sectors of Fock space-that is, by performing electron attachment and detachment IHFS-CCSD and EOM-CCSD calculation on the closed-shell YbF+ and YbF- species, respectively. From these calculations we predict Ω = 1/2, 3/2 states, arising from the 4f13σ26s, 4f145d1/6p1, and 4f135d1σ16s configurations to be able to interact as they appear in the same energy range around the ground-state equilibrium geometry. As these states are generated from different sectors of Fock space, they are almost orthogonal and provide complementary descriptions of parts of the excited state manifold. To obtain a comprehensive picture, we introduce a simple adiabatization model to extract energies of interacting Ω = 1/2, 3/2 states that can be compared to experimental observations.

NAC-TDDFT: Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory for Nonadiabatic Couplings

First-order nonadiabatic coupling (NAC) matrix elements (fo-NACMEs) are the basic quantities in theoretical descriptions of electronically nonadiabatic processes that are ubiquitous in molecular physics and chemistry. Given the large size of systems of chemical interests, time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is usually the first choice of methods. However, the lack of many-electron wave functions in TDDFT renders the formulation of NAC-TDDFT for fo-NACMEs conceptually difficult. Because of this, various variants of NAC-TDDFT have been proposed in the literature from different standing points, including the Hellmann-Feynman-like expression and auxiliary/pseudo-wave function (AWF)-, equation-of-motion (EOM)-, and time-dependent perturbation theory (TDPT)-based formulations. Based on critical analyses, the following conclusions are made here: (1) The Hellmann-Feynman-like expression, which is rooted in exact wave function theory, is hardly useful due to huge demand on basis sets. (2) Although most popular, the AWF variants of NAC-TDDFT are not theoretically founded and become ambiguous particularly for the fo-NACMEs between two excited states, although they do agree with the EOM and TDPT variants under the Tamm-Dancoff approximation. (3) The TDPT variant of NAC-TDDFT is theoretically most rigorous but suffers from numerical instabilities on the one hand and does not differ to a significant extent from the EOM variant on the other hand. (4) As such, the EOM variant of NAC-TDDFT for the fo-NACMEs between the ground and excited states and between two excited states is solely the right choice in practice. These formal analyses are fully supported by numerical experimentations, taking azulene as a showcase. The proper implementation of the EOM variant of NAC-TDDFT is also highlighted, showing that the fo-NACMEs between the ground and excited states and between two excited states are computationally very much the same as the analytic energy gradients of DFT and TDDFT, respectively. Possible future developments of the EOM variant of NAC-TDDFT are also highlighted. Its extensions to spin-adapted open-shell TDDFT and proper treatment of spin-orbit couplings (which are another source of force for electronically nonadiabatic processes) are particularly warranted in the near future.

Machine Learning for Electronically Excited States of Molecules

Electronically excited states of molecules are at the heart of photochemistry, photophysics, as well as photobiology and also play a role in material science. Their theoretical description requires highly accurate quantum chemical calculations, which are computationally expensive. In this review, we focus on not only how machine learning is employed to speed up such excited-state simulations but also how this branch of artificial intelligence can be used to advance this exciting research field in all its aspects. Discussed applications of machine learning for excited states include excited-state dynamics simulations, static calculations of absorption spectra, as well as many others. In order to put these studies into context, we discuss the promises and pitfalls of the involved machine learning techniques. Since the latter are mostly based on quantum chemistry calculations, we also provide a short introduction into excited-state electronic structure methods and approaches for nonadiabatic dynamics simulations and describe tricks and problems when using them in machine learning for excited states of molecules.

Machine Learning for Electronically Excited States of Molecules

Electronically excited states of molecules are at the heart of photochemistry, photophysics, as well as photobiology and also play a role in material science. Their theoretical description requires highly accurate quantum chemical calculations, which are computationally expensive. In this review, we focus on not only how machine learning is employed to speed up such excited-state simulations but also how this branch of artificial intelligence can be used to advance this exciting research field in all its aspects. Discussed applications of machine learning for excited states include excited-state dynamics simulations, static calculations of absorption spectra, as well as many others. In order to put these studies into context, we discuss the promises and pitfalls of the involved machine learning techniques. Since the latter are mostly based on quantum chemistry calculations, we also provide a short introduction into excited-state electronic structure methods and approaches for nonadiabatic dynamics simulations and describe tricks and problems when using them in machine learning for excited states of molecules.

NMR Indirect Spin-Spin Coupling Constants in a Modern Quasi-Relativistic Density Functional Framework

A quasi-relativistic implementation of NMR indirect spin-spin coupling constants is presented. The exact two-component (X2C) Hamiltonian and its diagonal local approximation to the unitary decoupling transformation (DLU) are utilized together with the (modified) screened nuclear spin-orbit approach. In a restricted kinetic balance, the finite nucleus model is available for both the scalar and vector potentials. The implementation supports density functionals up to the fourth rung of Jacob's ladder, i.e., (range-separated) hybrid and local hybrid functionals based on a seminumerical ansatz. We assess the quality of our quasi-relativistic X2C approach by comparison with "fully" relativistic four-component results for small main-group molecules and alkynyl compounds. The mean absolute error introduced by the DLU scheme is less than 0.05 × 10¹⁹ T J^-2 of the reduced coupling constant for the small main-group molecules and 0.5 Hz for the alkynyl compounds. Thus, the error is significantly smaller than finite nucleus size effects for heavy elements. The basis set convergence and the impact of different density functional approximations are further studied. We propose a simple scheme to develop segmented-contracted relativistic all-electron basis sets for NMR spin-spin couplings. Our implementation allows us to perform calculations of extended molecules with reasonable computational effort, which is illustrated for the ¹J(¹¹⁹Sn, ³¹P) coupling constant of a low-valent tin phosphinidenide complex. The corresponding results are in good agreement with the experimental findings.

Relativistic EOM-CCSD for Core-Excited and Core-Ionized State Energies Based on the Four-Component Dirac-Coulomb(-Gaunt) Hamiltonian

We report an implementation of the core-valence separation approach to the four-component relativistic Hamiltonian-based equation-of-motion coupled-cluster with singles and doubles theory (CVS-EOM-CCSD) for the calculation of relativistic core-ionization potentials and core-excitation energies. With this implementation, which is capable of exploiting double group symmetry, we investigate the effects of the different CVS-EOM-CCSD variants and the use of different Hamiltonians based on the exact two-component (X2C) framework on the energies of different core-ionized and -excited states in halogen- (CH₃I, HX, and X^-, X = Cl-At) and xenon-containing (Xe, XeF₂) species. Our results show that the X2C molecular mean-field approach [Sikkema, J.; J. Chem. Phys. 2009, 131, 124116], based on four-component Dirac-Coulomb mean-field calculations (²DC^M), is capable of providing core excitations and ionization energies that are nearly indistinguishable from the reference four-component energies for up to and including fifth-row elements. We observe that two-electron integrals over the small-component basis sets lead to non-negligible contributions to core binding energies for the K and L edges for atoms such as iodine or astatine and that the approach based on Dirac-Coulomb-Gaunt mean-field calculations (²DCG^M) are significantly more accurate than X2C calculations for which screened two-electron spin-orbit interactions are included via atomic mean-field integrals.

Further Development of iCIPT2 for Strongly Correlated Electrons

The efficiency of the recently proposed iCIPT2 [iterative configuration interaction (iCI) with selection and second-order perturbation theory (PT2); J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2020, 16, 2296] for strongly correlated electrons is further enhanced (by up to 20×) by using (1) a new ranking criterion for configuration selection, (2) a new particle-hole algorithm for Hamiltonian construction over randomly selected configuration state functions (CSF), and (3) a new data structure for the quick sorting of the variational and first-order interaction spaces. Meanwhile, the memory requirement is also significantly reduced. As a result, this improved implementation of iCIPT2 can handle 1 order of magnitude more CSFs than the previous version, as revealed by taking the chromium dimer and an iron-sulfur cluster, [Fe₂S₂(SCH₃)]₄^2-, as examples.

Electron-Nucleus Hyperfine Coupling Calculated from Restricted Active Space Wavefunctions and an Exact Two-Component Hamiltonian

Exact two-component (X2C) relativistic nuclear hyperfine magnetic field operators were incorporated in X2C ab initio wavefunction calculations at the multireference restricted active space (RAS) level for calculations of nuclear hyperfine magnetic properties. Spin-orbit coupling was treated via RAS state interaction (SO-RASSI). The method was tested by calculations of electron-nucleus hyperfine coupling constants. The approach, implemented in the OpenMolcas program, overcomes a major limitation of a previous SO-RASSI implementation for hyperfine coupling that relied on nonrelativistic hyperfine operators [J. Chem. Theor. Comput. 2015, 11, 538-549] and therefore had limited applicability. Results from calculations on systems with light and heavy main group elements, transition metals, lanthanides, and one actinide complex demonstrate reasonably good agreement with experimental data, where available, as long as the active space can generate sufficient spin polarization.

Mössbauer isomer shifts and effective contact densities obtained by the exact two-component (X2C) relativistic method and its local variants

A standalone program to calculate scalar relativistic effective contact densities.