Electronic structure theory, electron nuclear

Wigner rotation/adiabatic-to-diabatic transformation matrices, 92 Electronic structure theory, electron nuclear dynamics (END) structure and properties, 326-327 theoretical background, 324-325 time-dependent variational principle (TDVP), general nuclear dynamics, 334-337 Electronic wave function, permutational symmetry, 680-682 Electron nuclear dynamics (END) degenerate states chemistry, xii-xiii direct molecular dynamics, structure and properties, 327 molecular systems, 337-351 final-state analysis, 342-349 intramolecular electron transfer,... 

Although a separation of electronic and nuclear motion provides an important simplification and appealing qualitative model for chemistry, the electronic Sclirodinger equation is still fomiidable. Efforts to solve it approximately and apply these solutions to the study of spectroscopy, stmcture and chemical reactions fonn the subject of what is usually called electronic structure theory or quantum chemistry. The starting point for most calculations and the foundation of molecular orbital theory is the independent-particle approximation. 

Full quantum wavepacket studies on large molecules are impossible. This is not only due to the scaling of the method (exponential with the number of degrees of freedom), but also due to the difficulties of obtaining accurate functions of the coupled PES, which are required as analytic functions. Direct dynamics studies of photochemical systems bypass this latter problem by calculating the PES on-the-fly as it is required, and only where it is required. This is an exciting new field, which requires a synthesis of two existing branches of theoretical chemistry—electronic structure theory (quantum chemistiy) and mixed nuclear dynamics methods (quantum-semiclassical). 

The equilibrium geometries produced by electronic structure theory correspond to the spectroscopic geometry R, which assumes that there is no nuclear motion. Contrast this to the Rg geometry, defined via the vibrationally-averaged nuclear positions. 

The introduction of the Bom-Oppenheimer approximation (BOA) set the stage for the development of electronic structure theory and molecular dynamics as separate disciplines. Certainly this separation has been fruitful and has in large measure fostered the rapid development of the fields. However, it is also clear that a comprehensive approach to chemistry must remain cognizant of the interplay between electronic structure and nuclear dynamics. Inferring dynamical behavior... 

In this minimal END approximation, the electronic basis functions are centered on the average nuclear positions, which are dynamical variables. In the limit of classical nuclei, these are conventional basis functions used in molecular electronic structure theory, and they follow the dynamically changing nuclear positions. As can be seen from the equations of motion discussed above the evolution of the nuclear positions and momenta is governed by Newton-like equations with Hellman-Feynman forces, while the electronic dynamical variables are complex molecular orbital coefficients that follow equations that look like those of the time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) approximation [24]. The coupling terms in the dynamical metric are the well-known nonadiabatic terms due to the fact that the basis moves with the dynamically changing nuclear positions. 

Molecular mechanics force fields rest on four fundamental principles. The first principle is derived from the Bom-Oppenheimer approximation. Electrons have much lower mass than nuclei and move at much greater velocity. The velocity is sufficiently different that the nuclei can be considered stationary on a relative scale. In effect, the electronic and nuclear motions are uncoupled, and they can be treated separately. Unlike quantum mechanics, which is involved in determining the probability of electron distribution, molecular mechanics focuses instead on the location of the nuclei. Based on both theory and experiment, a set of equations are used to account for the electronic-nuclear attraction, nuclear-nuclear repulsion, and covalent bonding. Electrons are not directly taken into account, but they are considered indirectly or implicitly through the use of potential energy equations. This approach creates a mathematical model of molecular structures which is intuitively clear and readily available for fast computations. The set of equations and constants is defined as the force... 

Each of the semi-classical trajectory surface hopping and quantum wave packet dynamics simulations has its pros and cons. For the semi-classical trajectory surface hopping, the lack of coherence and phase of the nuclei, and total time per trajectory are cons whereas inclusion of all nuclear degrees of freedom, the use of potentials direct from electronic structure theory, the ease of increasing accuracy by running more trajectories, and the ease of visualization of results are pros. For the quantum wave packet dynamics, the complexity of setting up an appropriate model Hamiltonian, use of approximate fitted potentials, and the... 

Equation (8.1) [which may be compared to (1.246)] defines gN, the nuclear g factor. Note that the protonic charge and mass, e and mp> are used in (8.1), rather than the charge and mass of the nucleus in question. Whereas the electronic g factor can be predicted accurately from theory, theories of nuclear structure are not sufficiently developed to allow the prediction of gN for nuclei. Experimental values of /, gN, and percent abundance for some nuclei are given in the Appendix, Table A.6. 

The deuteron, being the simplest compound nucleus, provides an important testing ground for theories of nuclear few body systems which predict the deuteron structure radius. Traditionally, this radius has been determined from accelerator-based electron scattering data. In an optical spectroscopy experiment in 1993, a new value for the deuteron structure radius with significant deviation from the previously adopted value was found [31]. 

The constant b therefore contains contributions from two quite different magnetic interactions, the Fermi contact and the electron-nuclear dipolar interactions. Interpretation of the magnitudes of these constants in terms of electronic structure theory always involves the separate assessment of these different effects, so that we prefer to use an effective Hamiltonian which separates them at the outset. Consequently the effective magnetic hyperfine Hamiltonian used throughout this book is... 

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