The Basis Function

This is such an important concept that we take it first. 

The basis function is the limit function resulting from cardinal data, where all vertices of the polygon have value zero except for one. Clearly there is one such basis function for each control point in the polygon, but in uniform schemes, where the weights in the weighted means do not depend on position in abscissa space, all of these basis functions have the same shape. They are just translates of each other, and so there is only one shape, which we call the basis function. 

This gives a more precise meaning to the term support width. It is the width in abscissa units of the closure15 of the abscissa region over which the basis function is non-zero (the support region). 

14As well as the strict definition of support just made, a useful measure is the width of the region in which the magnitude of the support function is greater than some positive constant, modelling the region in which a perceptible difference in the curve can be seen. 

1B closure is a technicality which allows us to ignore the fact that the basis function can be zero at isolated points of the support region. 

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Caleulations that employ the linear variational prineiple ean be viewed as those that obtain the exaet solution to an approximate problem. The problem is approximate beeause the basis neeessarily ehosen for praetieal ealeulations is not suffieiently flexible to deseribe the exaet states of the quantnm-meehanieal system. Nevertheless, within this finite basis, the problem is indeed solved exaetly the variational prineiple provides a reeipe to obtain the best possible solution in the space spanned by the basis functions. In this seetion, a somewhat different approaeh is taken for obtaining approximate solutions to the Selirodinger equation. 

Having done this we solve the Scln-ddinger equation for the molecule by diagonalizing the Hamiltonian matrix in a complete set of known basis fiinctions. We choose the basis functions so that they transfonn according to the irreducible representations of the synnnetry group. 

Longuet-Higgins [7] also reinforces the discussion by tbe following qualitative demonstration of a cyclic sign change for the LiNaK like system subject to Eq. (3), in which rows and columns are labeled by the basis functions... 

Extension to six dimensions is now straightforward. We obtain similar expressions just with the y and z components and the index n running over the basis functions included in the particular degree of freedom. For the functions... 

The gradient of the PES (force) can in principle be calculated by finite difference methods. This is, however, extremely inefficient, requiring many evaluations of the wave function. Gradient methods in quantum chemistiy are fortunately now very advanced, and analytic gradients are available for a wide variety of ab initio methods [123-127]. Note that if the wave function depends on a set of parameters X], for example, the expansion coefficients of the basis functions used to build the orbitals in molecular orbital (MO) theory. 

The diagonal elements of the matrix [Eqs. (31) and (32)], actually being an effective operator that acts onto the basis functions Ro,i, are diagonal in the quantum number I as well. The factors exp( 2iAct)) [Eqs. (27)] determine the selection rule for the off-diagonal elements of this matrix in the vibrational basis—they couple the basis functions with different I values with one another (i.e., with I — l A). 

Vo + V2 and = Vo — 2 (actually, effective operators acting onto functions of p and < )), conesponding to the zeroth-order vibronic functions of the form cos(0 —4>) and sin(0 —(()), respectively. PL-H computed the vibronic spectrum of NH2 by carrying out some additional transformations (they found it to be convenient to take the unperturbed situation to be one in which the bending potential coincided with that of the upper electi onic state, which was supposed to be linear) and simplifications (the potential curve for the lower adiabatic electi onic state was assumed to be of quartic order in p, the vibronic wave functions for the upper electronic state were assumed to be represented by sums and differences of pairs of the basis functions with the same quantum number u and / = A) to keep the problem tiactable by means of simple perturbation... 

The first theoretical handling of the weak R-T combined with the spin-orbit coupling was carried out by Pople [71]. It represents a generalization of the perturbative approaches by Renner and PL-H. The basis functions are assumed as products of (42) with the eigenfunctions of the spin operator conesponding to values E = 1/2. The spin-orbit contribution to the model Hamiltonian was taken in the phenomenological form (16). It was assumed that both interactions are small compared to the bending vibrational frequency and that both the... 

It follows that the only possible values for la + Ip are S A and the computation of vibronic levels can be carried out for each K block separately. Matrix elements of the electronic operator diagonal with respect to the electronic basis [first of Eqs. (60)], and the matrix elements of T are diagonal with respect to the quantum number I = la + Ip. The off-diagonal elements of [second and third of Eqs. (60)] connect the basis functions with I — la + Ip and I — l + l — l 2A. 

The dimensionless parameters Ot, , Ctc appearing in the last expression are connected with the sums and differences of the adiabatic potentials as shown elsewhere [149,150]. This effective Hamiltonian acts onto the basis functions (A.l) with A = 2. 

The zeroth-order Hamiltonian and the spin-orbit part of the perturbation are diagonal with respect to the quantum numbers K, E, P, Uj, It, Uc, and Ic-The terms of H involving the parameters aj, ac, and bo aie diagonal with respect to both the Ij and Ic quantum numbers, while the f>2 term connects with one another the basis functions with I j = Ij 2, 4- 2. The c terms... 

In other cases, the zeroth-order vibronic levels are generally more than twofold degenerate and the perturbative handling is much more complicated. An exception is the case 07= , U( =li K = 0 with the twofold degenerate zeroth-order level. The basis functions are 1 1 1 1 —) = 1) and 1 —1 1 —l- -)s 2). The zeroth-order energy is... 

The solution to this problem is to use more than one basis function of each type some of them compact and others diffuse, Linear combinations of basis Functions of the same type can then produce MOs with spatial extents between the limits set by the most compact and the most diffuse basis functions. Such basis sets arc known as double is the usual symbol for the exponent of the basis function, which determines its spatial extent) if all orbitals arc split into two components, or split ualence if only the valence orbitals arc split. A typical early split valence basis set was known as 6-31G 124], This nomenclature means that the core (non-valence) orbitals are represented by six Gaussian functions and the valence AOs by two sets of three (compact) and one (more diffuse) Gaussian functions. 

The solution is therefore to add basis functions that allow a shift of the electron density without moving the centers of the basis functions away from their nuclei. 

Ihe one-electron orbitals are commonly called basis functions and often correspond to he atomic orbitals. We will label the basis functions with the Greek letters n, v, A and a. n the case of Equation (2.144) there are K basis functions and we should therefore xpect to derive a total of K molecular orbitals (although not all of these will necessarily 3e occupied by electrons). The smallest number of basis functions for a molecular system vill be that which can just accommodate all the electrons in the molecule. More sophisti- ated calculations use more basis functions than a minimal set. At the Hartree-Fock limit he energy of the system can be reduced no further by the addition of any more basis unctions however, it may be possible to lower the energy below the Hartree-Fock limit ay using a functional form of the wavefunction that is more extensive than the single Slater determinant. 

We have used the indices a and A for the basis functions here. Similarly, the exchange contribution can be written ... 

When the Coulomb and exchange operators are expressed in terms of the basis functions and the orbital expansion is substituted for xu then their contributions to the Fock matrix element take the following form ... 

In ub initio calculations all elements of the Fock matrix are calculated using Equation (2.226), ii re peifive of whether the basis functions ip, cp, formally bonded. To discuss the semi-empirical melh ids it is useful to consider the Fock matrix elements in three groups (the diagonal... 

Several functional forms have been investigated for the basis functions Given the vast experience of using Gaussian functions in Hartree-Fock theory it will come as no surprise to learn that such functions have also been employed in density functional theory. However, these are not the only possibility Slater type orbitals are also used, as are numerical... 

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