Hartree-Fock theory mathematical methods

The question for a more systematic inclusion of electronic correlation brings us back to the realm of molecular quantum chemistry [51,182]. Recall that (see Section 2.11.3) the exact solution (configuration interaction. Cl) is found on the basis of the self-consistent Hartree-Fock wave function, namely by the excitation of the electrons into the virtual, unoccupied molecular orbitals. Unfortunately, the ultimate goal oi full Cl is obtainable for very small systems only, and restricted Cl is size-inconsistent the amount of electron correlation depends on the size of the system (Section 2.11.3). Thus, size-consistent but perturbative approaches (Moller-Plesset theory) are often used, and the simplest practical procedure (of second order, thus dubbed MP2 [129]) already scales with the fifth order of the system s size N, in contrast to Hartree-Fock theory ( N ). The accuracy of these methods may be systematically improved by going up to higher orders but this makes the calculations even more expensive and slow (MP3 N, MP4 N ). Fortunately, restricted Cl can be mathematically rephrased in the form of the so-called coupled clus-... 

The Hartree-Fock approximation, which is equivalent to the molecular orbital approximation, is central to chemistry. The simple picture, that chemists carry around in their heads, of electrons occupying orbitals is in reality an approximation, sometimes a very good one but, nevertheless, an approximation—the Hartree-Fock approximation. In this chapter we describe, in detail, Hartree-Fock theory and the principles of ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations. The length of this chapter testifies to the important role Hartree-Fock theory plays in quantum chemistry. The Hartree-Fock approximation s important not only for its own sake but as a starting point for more accurate approximations, which include the effects of electron correlation. A few of the computational methods of quantum chemistry bypass the Hartree-Fock approximation, but most do not, and all the methods described in the subsequent chapters of this book use the Hartree-Fock approximation as a starting point. Chapters 1 and 2 introduced the basic concepts and mathematical tools important for an indepth understanding of the structure of many-electron theory. We are now in a position to tackle and understand the formalism and computational procedures associated with the Hartree-Fock approximation, at other than a superficial level. 

Models for the electronic structure of polynuclear systems were also developed. Except for metals, where a free electron model of the valence electrons was used, all methods were based on a description of the electronic structure in terms of atomic orbitals. Direct numerical solutions of the Hartree-Fock equations were not feasible and the Thomas-Fermi density model gave ridiculous results. Instead, two different models were introduced. The valence bond formulation (5) followed closely the concepts of chemical bonds between atoms which predated quantum theory (and even the discovery of the electron). In this formulation certain reasonable "configurations" were constructed by drawing bonds between unpaired electrons on different atoms. A mathematical function formed from a sum of products of atomic orbitals was used to represent each configuration. The energy and electronic structure was then... 

C. Density functional theory Density functional theory (DFT) is the third alternative quantum mechanics method for obtaining chemical structures and their associated energies.Unlike the other two approaches, however, DFT avoids working with the many-electron wavefunction. DFT focuses on the direct use of electron densities P(r), which are included in the fundamental mathematical formulations, the Kohn-Sham equations, which define the basis for this method. Unlike Hartree-Fock methods of ab initio theory, DFT explicitly takes electron correlation into account. This means that DFT should give results comparable to the standard ab initio correlation models, such as second order M(j)ller-Plesset (MP2) theory. 

The formal analysis of the mathematics required incorporating the linear combination of atomic orbitals molecular orbital approximation into the self-consistent field method was a major step in the development of modem Hartree-Fock-Slater theory. Independently, Hall (57) and Roothaan (58) worked out the appropriate equations in 1951. Then, Clement (8,9,63) applied the procedure to calculate the electronic structures of many of the atoms in the Periodic Table using linear combinations of Slater orbitals. Nowadays linear combinations of Gaussian functions are the standard approximations in modem LCAO-MO theory, but the Clement atomic calculations for helium are recognized to be very instructive examples to illustrate the fundamentals of this theory (67-69). 

The generator coordinate method (GCM), as initially formulated in nuclear physics, is briefly described. Emphasis is then given to mathematical aspects and applications to atomic systems. The hydrogen atom Schrodinger equation with a Gaussian trial function is used as a model for former and new analytical, formal and numerical derivations. The discretization technique for the solution of the Hill-Wheeler equation is presented and the generator coordinate Hartree-Fock method and its applications for atoms, molecules, natural orbitals and universal basis sets are reviewed. A connection between the GCM and density functional theory is commented and some initial applications are presented. 

Surveying the history of the theory of optical lanthanide spectroscopy, we can discern several main features the usefulness of Lie groups, following their introduction by Racah (1949) the relevance of the method of second quantization, as demonstrated by the use of annihilation and creation operators for electrons and the inability of the Hartree-Fock method and its various elaborations to provide accurate values (say to within 1%) of such crucial quantities as the Slater integrals F (4f,4f) and the Sternheimer correction factors R , for a free ion. The success of the formal mathematics is in striking contrast to the failure of the machinery of computation. This turn of events has happened over a period of time when... 

According to the ab initio molecular orbital theory methodology, atomic orbitals (set of functions, also called basis sets) combine in a way to form molecnlar orbitals that snrronnd the molecule. The molecular orbital theory considers the molecnlar wave function as an antisymmetiized product of orthonormal spatial molecular orbitals. Then they are constructed as a Slater determinant [56], Essentially, the calculations initially use a basis set, atomic wave functions [57, 58], to constract the molecular orbitals. The first and basic ab initio molecular orbital theory approach to solve the Schrodinger equation is the Hartree-Fock (HF) method [59, 60], Almost all the ab initio methodologies have the same basic numerical approach but they differ in mathematical approximations. As it is clear that finding the exact solution for the Schrodinger equation, for a molecular system, is not possible, various approaches and approximations are used to find the reliable to close-to-accurate solutions [61-68]. 

Until recently, almost all quantum chemical methods used for numerical calculations were formulated within the conceptual framework of Hartree-Fock molecular orbital (MO) theory. Its basic premise is that a many-electron wavefunction can be formulated in terms of a set of one-electron wavefunc-tions V / (MOs), which are in turn composed of a linear combination (LC) of basis functions ()), . The latter are usually centered on the nuclei and are therefore called atomic orbitals (AOs), even though the optimal (]), for a molecule may be very different from the optimal AOs for an isolated atom. Mathematically, the LCAO-MO approximation is expressed as... 

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