Superposition errors

There are a number of other technical details associated with HF and other ah initio methods that are discussed in other chapters. Basis sets and basis set superposition error are discussed in more detail in Chapters 10 and 28. For open-shell systems, additional issues exist spin polarization, symmetry breaking, and spin contamination. These are discussed in Chapter 27. Size-consistency and size-extensivity are discussed in Chapter 26. 

There is also a local MP2 (LMP2) method. LMP2 calculations require less CPU time than MP2 calculations. LMP2 is also less susceptible to basis set superposition error. The price of these improvements is that about 98% of the MP2 energy correction is recovered by LMP2. 

It is a well-known fact that the Hartree-Fock model does not describe bond dissociation correctly. For example, the H2 molecule will dissociate to an H+ and an atom rather than two H atoms as the bond length is increased. Other methods will dissociate to the correct products however, the difference in energy between the molecule and its dissociated parts will not be correct. There are several different reasons for these problems size-consistency, size-extensivity, wave function construction, and basis set superposition error. 

Diffuse functions are those functions with small Gaussian exponents, thus describing the wave function far from the nucleus. It is common to add additional diffuse functions to a basis. The most frequent reason for doing this is to describe orbitals with a large spatial extent, such as the HOMO of an anion or Rydberg orbitals. Adding diffuse functions can also result in a greater tendency to develop basis set superposition error (BSSE), as described later in this chapter. 

BSSE (basis set superposition error) an error introduced when using an incomplete basis set... 

Simon, S., Duran, M., Dannenberg, J. J., 1999, Effect of Basis Set Superposition Error on the Water Dimer Surface Calculated at Hartree-Fock, Mpller-Plesset, and Density Functional Theory Levels , J. Phys. Chem. A, 103, 1640. 

BSSE Basis set superposition error DFT Density functional theory... 

A quantum theory of atoms in molecules insight on the effect of basis set superposition error removal... 

Saebe, S., Tong, W. and Pulay, P. Efficient elimination of basis set superposition errors by the local correlation method Accurate ab initio studies of the water dimer, J. Chem. Phys., 98, 2170-2175. 

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