Potential energy surface crude Born-Oppenheimer approximation

In Chapter IX, Liang et al. present an approach, termed as the crude Bom-Oppenheimer approximation, which is based on the Born-Oppen-heimer approximation but employs the straightforward perturbation method. Within their chapter they develop this approximation to become a practical method for computing potential energy surfaces. They show that to carry out different orders of perturbation, the ability to calculate the matrix elements of the derivatives of the Coulomb interaction with respect to nuclear coordinates is essential. For this purpose, they study a diatomic molecule, and by doing that demonstrate the basic skill to compute the relevant matrix elements for the Gaussian basis sets. Finally, they apply this approach to the H2 molecule and show that the calculated equilibrium position and foree constant fit reasonable well those obtained by other approaches. 

An alternative approximation scheme, also proposed by Born and Oppenheimer [5-7], employed the straightforward perturbation method. To tell the difference between these two different BO approximation, we call the latter the crude BOA (CBOA). A main purpose of this chapter is to study the original BO approximation, which is often referred to as the crude BO approximation and to develop this approximation into a practical method for computing potential energy surfaces of molecules. 

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