Optimized perturbation theory

Stevenson, P. M. (1981). Optimized perturbation theory. Phys. Rev. D. 23,2916-2944. Stringari, S. (1996). Collective excitations of a trapped bose-condensed gas. Phys. Rev. Lett. 77,2360-2363. 

MoUer-Plesset perturbation theory energies through fifth-order (accessed via the keywords MP2, MP3, MP4, and MP5), optimizations via analytic gradients for second-order (MP2), third-order (MP3) and fourth-order (without triples MP4SDQ), and analytic frequencies for second-order (MP2). 

In such cases the expression from fii st-order perturbation theory (10.18) yields a result identical to the first derivative of the energy with respect to A. For wave functions which are not completely optimized with respect to all parameters (Cl, MP or CC), the Hellmann-Feynman theorem does not hold, and a first-order property calculated as an expectation value will not be identical to that obtained as an energy derivative. Since the Hellmann-Feynman theorem holds for an exact wave function, the difference between the two values becomes smaller as the quality of an approximate wave function increases however, for practical applications the difference is not negligible. It has been argued that the derivative technique resembles the physical experiment more, and consequently formula (10.21) should be preferred over (10.18). 

Abstract. We present a quantum-classieal determination of stable isomers of Na Arii clusters with an electronically excited sodium atom in 3p P states. The excited states of Na perturbed by the argon atoms are obtained as the eigenfunctions of a single-electron operator describing the electron in the field of a Na Arn core, the Na and Ar atoms being substituted by pseudo-potentials. These pseudo-potentials include core-polarization operators to account for polarization and correlation of the inert part with the excited electron . The geometry optimization of the excited states is carried out via the basin-hopping method of Wales et al. The present study confirms the trend for small Na Arn clusters in 3p states to form planar structures, as proposed earlier by Tutein and Mayne within the framework of a first order perturbation theory on a "Diatomics in Molecules" type model. 

All of the systems were initially optimized using a much higher level of theory, in order to ensure that the OM2 method provides a realistic description of the structure. The method employed was the second-order Mpller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) [50] using the cc-pVDZ basis set [51]. The resolution-of-identity (RI) approximation for the evaluation of the electron-repulsion integrals implemented in Turbomole was utilized [52]. 

Most multireference methods described to date have been limited to second order in perturbation theory. As analytic gradients are not yet available, geometry optimization requires recourse to more tedious numerical approaches (see, for instance. Page and Olivucci 2003). While some third order results have begun to appear, much like the single-reference case, they do not seem to offer much improvement over second order. 

In M0ller-Plesset theory, first-order perturbation theory does not improve on the HF energy because the zeroth-order Hamiltonian is not itself the HF Hamiltonian. However, first-order perturbation theory can be useful for estimating energetic effects associated with operators that extend the HF Hamiltonian. Typical examples of such terms include the mass-velocity and one-electron Darwin corrections that arise in relativistic quantum mechanics. It is fairly difficult to self-consistently optimize wavefunctions for systems where these tenns are explicitly included in the Hamiltonian, but an estimate of their energetic contributions may be had from simple first-order perturbation theory, since that energy is computed simply by taking the expectation values of the operators over the much more easily obtained HF wave functions. 

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