Scalar Relativistic Effects with Multiwavelets: Implementation and Benchmark.

The importance of relativistic effects in quantum chemistry is widely recognized, not only for heavier elements but throughout the periodic table. At the same time, relativistic effects are strongest in the nuclear region, where the description of electrons through a linear combination of atomic orbitals becomes more challenging. Furthermore, the choice of basis sets for heavier elements is limited compared with lighter elements where precise basis sets are available. Thanks to the framework of multiresolution analysis, multiwavelets provide an appealing alternative to overcoming this challenge: they lead to robust error control and adaptive algorithms that automatically refine the basis set description until the desired precision is reached. This allows one to achieve a proper description of the nuclear region. In this work, we extended the multiwavelet-based code MRChem to the scalar zero-order regular approximation framework. We validated our implementation by comparing the total energies for a small set of elements and molecules. To confirm the validity of our implementation, we compared both against a radial numerical code for atoms and the plane-wave-based code EXCITING.

The LDA-1/2 Method Applied to Atoms and Molecules.

The LDA-1/2 method evaluates ionization potentials as the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) at half occupation. It has proven to be a viable approach for calculating band gaps of semiconductors. To address its accuracy for finite systems, we apply LDA-1/2 to the atoms and molecules of the GW100 test set. The obtained HOMO energies are validated against CCSD(T) data and the G0 W0 approach of many-body perturbation theory. The accuracy of LDA-1/2 and G0 W0 is found to be the same, where the latter is computationally much more involved. To get insight into the benefits and limitations of the LDA-1/2 method, we analyze the impact of each assumption made in deriving the methodology.

Graphene-modulated photo-absorption in adsorbed azobenzene monolayers.

The impact of graphene on the photo-absorption properties of trans- and cis-azobenzene monolayers is studied in the framework of density-functional theory and many-body perturbation theory. We find that, despite the weak hybridization between the electronic bands of graphene and those of the azobenzene monolayers, graphene remarkably modulates the absorption spectra of the adsorbates. The excitation energies are affected via two counteracting mechanisms: substrate polarization reduces the band-gap of azobenzene, and enhanced dielectric screening weakens the attractive interaction between electrons and holes. The competition between these two effects gives rise to an overall blueshift of peaks stemming from intramolecular excitations, and a redshift of peaks from intermolecular ones. Even more interesting is that excitations corresponding to intermolecular electron-hole pairs, which are dark in the isolated monolayers, are activated by the graphene substrate. Our results demonstrate that the photoisomerization process of weakly adsorbed azobenzene undergoes notable changes on a carbon-based substrate.

Reproducibility in density functional theory calculations of solids.

The widespread popularity of density functional theory has given rise to an extensive range of dedicated codes for predicting molecular and crystalline properties. However, each code implements the formalism in a different way, raising questions about the reproducibility of such predictions. We report the results of a community-wide effort that compared 15 solid-state codes, using 40 different potentials or basis set types, to assess the quality of the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof equations of state for 71 elemental crystals. We conclude that predictions from recent codes and pseudopotentials agree very well, with pairwise differences that are comparable to those between different high-precision experiments. Older methods, however, have less precise agreement. Our benchmark provides a framework for users and developers to document the precision of new applications and methodological improvements.

Towards numerically accurate many-body perturbation theory: short-range correlation effects.

The example of the uniform electron gas is used for showing that the short-range electron correlation is difficult to handle numerically, while it noticeably contributes to the self-energy. Nonetheless, in condensed-matter applications studied with advanced methods, such as the GW and random-phase approximations, it is common to neglect contributions due to high-momentum (large q) transfers. Then, the short-range correlation is poorly described, which leads to inaccurate correlation energies and quasiparticle spectra. To circumvent this problem, an accurate extrapolation scheme is proposed. It is based on an analytical derivation for the uniform electron gas presented in this paper, and it provides an explanation why accurate GW quasiparticle spectra are easy to obtain for some compounds and very difficult for others.

Exciting: a full-potential all-electron package implementing density-functional theory and many-body perturbation theory.

Linearized augmented planewave methods are known as the most precise numerical schemes for solving the Kohn-Sham equations of density-functional theory (DFT). In this review, we describe how this method is realized in the all-electron full-potential computer package, exciting. We emphasize the variety of different related basis sets, subsumed as (linearized) augmented planewave plus local orbital methods, discussing their pros and cons and we show that extremely high accuracy (microhartrees) can be achieved if the basis is chosen carefully. As the name of the code suggests, exciting is not restricted to ground-state calculations, but has a major focus on excited-state properties. It includes time-dependent DFT in the linear-response regime with various static and dynamical exchange-correlation kernels. These are preferably used to compute optical and electron-loss spectra for metals, molecules and semiconductors with weak electron-hole interactions. exciting makes use of many-body perturbation theory for charged and neutral excitations. To obtain the quasi-particle band structure, the GW approach is implemented in the single-shot approximation, known as G(0)W(0). Optical absorption spectra for valence and core excitations are handled by the solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation, which allows for the description of strongly bound excitons. Besides these aspects concerning methodology, we demonstrate the broad range of possible applications by prototypical examples, comprising elastic properties, phonons, thermal-expansion coefficients, dielectric tensors and loss functions, magneto-optical Kerr effect, core-level spectra and more.

Two-dimensional nanostructured growth of nanoclusters and molecules on insulating surfaces.

Noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM), Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and first principle calculations show that the nanostructured (001) Suzuki surface of Cd(2+) doped NaCl can be used to confine the growth of palladium clusters and functionalized brominated pentahelicene molecules into only the Suzuki regions, which contain the impurities. The Suzuki surface is an ideal model surface for nanostructuring metal clusters and molecules.