Density functional theory approximate treatment

In this volume dedicated to Yngve Ohm we feel it is particularly appropriate to extend his ideas and merge them with the powerful practical and conceptual tools of Density Functional Theory (6). We extend the formalism used in the TDVP to mixed states and consider the states to be labeled by the densities of electronic space and spin coordinates. (In the treatment presented here we do not explicitly consider the nuclei but consider them to be fixed. Elsewhere we shall show that it is indeed straightforward to extend our treatment in the same way as Ohm et al. and obtain equations that avoid the Bom-Oppenheimer Approximation.) In this article we obtain a formulation of exact equations for the evolution of electronic space-spin densities, which are equivalent to the Heisenberg equation of motion for the electtons in the system. Using the observation that densities can be expressed as quadratic expansions of functions, we also obtain exact equations for Aese one-particle functions. 

The usual way chemistry handles electrons is through a quantum-mechanical treatment in the frozen-nuclei approximation, often incorrectly referred to as the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. A description of the electrons involves either a wavefunction ( traditional quantum chemistry) or an electron density representation (density functional theory, DFT). Relativistic quantum chemistry has remained a specialist field and in most calculations of practical... 

Bauernschmitt, R., Ahlrichs, R., 1996b, Treatment of Electronic Excitations Within the Adiabatic Approximation of Time Dependent Density Functional Theory , Chem. Phys. Lett., 256, 454. 

In variational treatments of many-particle systems in the context of conventional quantum mechanics, these symmetry conditions are explicitly introduced, either in a direct constructive fashion or by resorting to projection operators. In the usual versions of density functional theory, however, little attention has b n payed to this problem. In our opinion, the basic question has to do with how to incorporate these symmetry conditions - which must be fulfilled by either an exact or approximate wavefunction - into the energy density functional. 

Methods of density functional theory (DFT) originate from the Xa method originally proposed by Slater [78] on the base of statistical description of atomic electron structure within the Thomas-Fermi theory [79]. From the point of view of Eq. (3), fundamental idea of the DFT based methods consist first of all in approximate treatment of the electron-electron interaction energy which is represented as ... 

In this paper we present preliminary results of an ab-initio study of quantum diffusion in the crystalline a-AlMnSi phase. The number of atoms in the unit cell (138) is sufficiently small to permit computation with the ab-initio Linearized Muffin Tin Orbitals (LMTO) method and provides us a good starting model. Within the Density Functional Theory (DFT) [15,16], this approach has still limitations due to the Local Density Approximation (LDA) for the exchange-correlation potential treatment of electron correlations and due to the approximation in the solution of the Schrodinger equation as explained in next section. However, we believe that this starting point is much better than simplified parametrized tight-binding like s-band models. 

In the previous section we presented the semi-classical electron-electron interaction we treated the electrons quantum mechanically but assumed that they interact via classical electromagnetic fields. The Breit retardation is only an approximate treatment of retardation and we shall now consider a more consistent treatment of the electron-electron interaction operator that also provides a bridge to relativistic DFT, which is current-density functional theory. For the correct description we have to take the quantization of electromagnetic fields into account (however, we will discuss only old, i.e., pre-1940 quantum electrodynamics). This means the two moving electrons interact via exchanged virtual photons with a specific angular frequency u>... 

There are several problems in the physics of quantum systems whose importance is attested to by the time and effort that have been expended in search of their solutions. A class of such problems involves the treatment of interparticle correlations with the electron gas in an atom, a molecule (cluster) or a solid having attracted significant attention by quantum chemists and solid-state physicists. This has led to the development of a large number of theoretical frameworks with associated computational procedures for the study of this problem. Among others, one can mention the local-density approximation (LDA) to density functional theory (DFT) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], the various forms of the Hartree-Fock (HF) approximation, 2, 6, 7], the so-called GW approximation, 9, 10], and methods based on the direct study of two-particle quantities[ll, 12, 13], such as two-particle reduced density matrices[14, 15, 16, 17, 18], and the closely related theory of geminals[17, 18, 19, 20], and configuration interactions (Cl s)[21]. These methods, and many of their generalizations and improvements[22, 23, 24] have been discussed in a number of review articles and textbooks[2, 3, 25, 26]. 

Interatomic Force Constants (IFCs) are the proportionality coefficients between the displacements of atoms from their equilibrium positions and the forces they induce on other atoms (or themselves). Their knowledge allows to build vibrational eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors of solids. This paper describes IFCs for different solids (SiC>2-quartz, SiC>2-stishovite, BaTiC>3, Si) obtained within the Local-Density Approximation to Density-Functional Theory. An efficient variation-perturbation approach has been used to extract the linear response of wavefunctions and density to atomic displacements. In mixed ionic-covalent solids, like SiC>2 or BaTiC>3, the careful treatment of the long-range IFCs is mandatory for a correct description of the eigenfrequencies. 

Eq.(8) is the starting point for a direct variational approach to Density Functional Theory, proposed by Teter, Payne and Allan [23,24], and called band-by-band (or state-by-state) conjugate-gradient (CG) algorithm. By contrast, Eqs.(10-12) have been in use since many years. They parallel the well-known SCF approach to the Hartree-Fock approximation. In the spirit of Teter, Payne and Allan, a variational approach to the treatment of perturbations within DFT is now presented. 

An alternative approach is by the application of an approximate theory. At present, the most useful theoretical treatment for the estimation of the equilibrium properties is generally considered to be the density functional theory (DFT). This involves the derivation of the density profile, p(r), of the inhomogeneous fluid at a solid surface or within a given set of pores. Once p(r) is known, the adsorption isotherm and other thermodynamic properties, such as the energy of adsorption, can be calculated. The advantage of DFT is its speed and relative ease of calculation, but there is a risk of oversimplification through the introduction of approximate forms of the required functionals (Gubbins, 1997). 

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