Generalized Newton variational principle

As it may be hard (or even impossible) to compute the derivatives of F with respect to the manipulated variables, approximations are normally provided for both H and VF in Equations 8.25 and 8.26. (The use of numerical procedures based on variational principles was very popular in the past [ 161 ]. In order to solve variational problems numerically, standard Newton-Raphson procedures are generally used to solve the resulting two-boimdary value problem that is associated with the variational formulation. For this reason, optimization of dynamic problems based on variational principles is also included in this set of SQP-related numerical techniques.)... 

Variational methods are at present used extensively in the study of inelastic and reactive scattering involving atoms and diatomic molecules[l-5]. Three of the most commonly used variational methods are due to Kohn (the KVP)[6], Schwinger (the SVP)[7] and Newton (the NVP)[8]. In the applications of these methods, the wavefunction is typically expanded in a set of basis functions, parametrized by the expansion coefficients. These linear variational parameters are then determined so as to render the variational functional stationary. Unlike the variational methods in bound state calculations, the variational principles of scattering theory do not provide an upper or lower bound to the quantity of interest, except in certain special cases.[9] Neverthless, variational methods are useful because, the minimum basis size with which an acceptable level of accuracy can be achieved using a variational method is often much smaller than those required if nonvariational methods are used. The reason for this is generally explained by showing (as... 

The three variational principles in common use in scattering theory are due to Kohn [9], Schwinger [11] and Newton [12]. Two of these variational principles, those due to Kohn and Newton, have been successfully developed and applied to reactive scattering problems in recent years there is the S-matrix Kohn method of Zhang, Chu, and Miller, the related log derivative Kohn method of Manolopoulos, D Mello, and Wyatt and the L - Amplitude Density Generalized Newton Variational Principle (L -AD GNVP) method of Schwenke, Kouri, and Truhlar. 

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