Time-dependent local density results

Figure 5.2 Absorption cross section of SissHse calculated using (1) tight-binding approach with local field effects (solid thick line), (2) the tight-binding energy levels with a classical model for the surface polarization contribution (dashed line) and (3) a time-dependent local density approximation (TDLDA) within density functional theory (solid thin line). TDLDA results from ref. 39.

Concurrent with these developments, the density functional formalism has emerged as an alternative to a Hartree Fock based description of the electronic structure of atoms, molecules and solids. In its most common form as a local density approximation (LDA) the question of atomic photoionization can again be addressed. Here too, one finds that the simplest approach falls to adequately charr-. acterize the experimental results in many cases. However, a recent straightforward generalization of density functional theory to time-dependent phenomena has been applied successfully to the problem of the optical response of atoms. In particular, highly accurate photoionization cross sections can be readily obtained. The purpose of the present article is to review this time-dependent local density approximation (TDLDA), illustrate its scope and limitations and compare it to the more familiar Hartree-Fock based methods. 

The speed of p- and n-type doping and that of p-n junction formation depend on the ionic conductivity of the solid electrolyte. Because of the generally nonpolar characteristics of luminescent polymers like PPV, and the polar characteristics of solid electrolytes, the two components within the electroactive layer will phase separate. Thus, the speed of the electrochemical doping and the local densities of electrochemically generated p- and n-type carriers will depend on the diffusion of the counterions from the electrolyte into the luminescent semiconducting polymer. As a result, the response time and the characteristic performance of the LEC device will highly depend on the ionic conductivity of the solid electrolyte and the morphology and microstructure of the composite. 

The frequency dependence of SHG at simple metal surface has been the focus of a recent theoretical study of Liebsch [100]. Time-dependent density functional theory was used in these calculations. The results suggest that the perpendicular surface contribution to the second harmonic current is found to be significantly larger than had been assumed previously. He also concludes that for 2 a> close to the threshold for electron emission, the self-consistently screened nonlinear electronic response becomes resonantly enhanced, analogous to local field enhancement in the linear response near the bulk plasma frequency. 

The central result is a set of TD-equations which includes all many-body correlations through a local TD exchange-correlation potential. In this time-dependent theory, one replaces the ground state density by the time-dependent density. We note ... 

Note that here and later on r denotes the single-particle coordinate whereas R is still used as abbreviation for all nuclear positions as in Eq. (1). The potential (5) consists, on one hand, of an external potential V(r,R), which in our case is time-dependent owing to the atomic motion R( ). On the other hand, there are electron-electron interaction terms, namely the Hartree and the exchange-correlation term, which depend both via the density p on the functions tpj. The exchange-correlation potential VIC is defined within the so-called adiabatic local density approximation [25] which is the natural extension of the lda from stationary dpt. It is assumed to give reliable results for problems where the time scale of the external potential (in our case typical collision times) is larger than the electronic time scale. 

To obtain errors of 1 kcal/mol or better, it is essential to treat many-body effects accurately and, we believe, directly. Although commonly used methods such as the density functional theory within the local density approximation (LDA) or the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) may get some properties correctly, it seems unlikely that they, in general, will ever have the needed precision and robustness on a wide variety of molecules. On the other hand, methods that rely on a complete representation of the many-body wavefunction will require a computer time that is exponential in the number of electrons. A typical example of such an approach is the configuration interaction (Cl) method, which expands the wavefunction in Slater determinants of one-body orbitals. Each time an atom is added to the system, an additional number of molecular orbitals must be considered, and the total number of determinants to reach chemical accuracy is then multiplied by this factor. Hence an exponential dependence of the computer time on the number of atoms in the system results. 

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