We propose a memory form of exchange-correlation potential
vXC(r,t) for time-dependent interacting many-particle systems. Unlike previous memory-XC potentials, our
vXC is not limited to the linear response regime. The proposed form of
vXC is a generalized local-density approximation chosen so as to satisfy the nonlinear harmonic potential theorem and Newton's third law. For the case of the inhomogeneous electron gas, we give an explicit prescription for
vXC based solely on an existing parametrization of the linear XC response kernel ${f}_{\mathrm{XC}}^{\mathrm{hom}}(n,\ensuremath{\omega})$ of the uniform gas. Application to quantum wells seems promising.
Most present applications of time-dependent density functional theory use adiabatic functionals, i.e., the effective potential at time t is determined solely by the density at the same time. This paper discusses a method that aims to go beyond this approximation, by incorporating "memory" effects: the derived exchange-correlation potential will depend not only on present densities but also on the past. In order to ensure the potentials are causal, we formulate the action on the Keldysh contour for electrons in electromagnetic fields, from which we derive suitable Kohn-Sham equations. The exchange-correlation action is now a functional of the electron density and velocity field. A specific action functional is constructed which is Galilean invariant and yields a causal exchange-correlation vector potential for the Kohn-Sham equations incorporating memory effects. We show explicitly that the net exchange-correlation Lorentz force is zero. The potential is consistent with known dynamical properties of the homogeneous electron gas (in the linear response limit).
The exact exchange-correlation (xc) kernel ${f}_{\text{xc}}(x,{x}^{\ensuremath{'}},\ensuremath{\omega})$ of linear response time-dependent density functional theory is computed over a wide range of frequencies for three canonical one-dimensional finite systems. Methods used to ensure the numerical robustness of
fxc are set out. The frequency dependence of
fxc is found to be largely due to its analytic structure, i.e., its singularities at certain frequencies, which are required in order to capture particular transitions, including those of double excitation character. However, within the frequency range of the first few interacting excitations,
fxc is approximately $\ensuremath{\omega}$ independent, meaning the exact adiabatic approximation ${f}_{\text{xc}}(\ensuremath{\omega}=0)$ remedies the failings of the local density approximation and random phase approximation for these lowest transitions. The key differences between the exact
fxc and its common approximations are analyzed, and cannot be eliminated by exploiting the limited gauge freedom in
fxc. The optical spectrum benefits from using as accurate as possible an
fxc and ground-state xc potential, while maintaining exact compatibility between the two is of less importance.
The frequency-dependent exchange-correlation potential, which appears in the usual Kohn-Sham formulation of a time-dependent linear response problem, is a strongly nonlocal functional of the density, so that a consistent local density approximation generally does not exist. This problem can be avoided by choosing the current density as the basic variable in a generalized Kohn-Sham theory. This theory admits a local approximation which, for fixed frequency, is exact in the limit of slowly varying densities and perturbing potentials.
The key quantity in the formulation of linear-response theory within time-dependent density-functional theory is the so-called exchange-correlation (xc) kernel. This chapter discusses the properties of the xc kernel. In general, it is a complex and frequency-dependent object, and a functional of the ground-state density. Several exact properties such as the zero-force theorem, static and high-frequency limit, and the long-range behaviour are discussed. The xc kernel can be related to a time-dependent variational principle provided one pays attention to certain time-dependent boundary conditions to ensure causality. The adiabatic approximation of the xc kernel is discussed. Finally, the third section of the chapter reviews the xc kernel of the homogeneous electron liquid. Many of its exact properties are covered, such as the high- and low-frequency limit and the long-wavevector limit. Three widely used parametrizations are presented and the analytical behaviour in the complex frequency plane is investigated.
We have recently proposed an approximation for the dynamical exchange-correlation (XC) potentials of time-dependent current-density functional theory beyond the local density approximation [Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 036403 (2006)]. The novel feature of the approximation is that the dependence of the dynamical XC potentials upon the density gradient and other inhomogeneity parameters (e.g., the Laplacian of the density and the kinetic energy density) is introduced by applying the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and meta-GGA to the calculation of the XC stress tensor. The scheme may allow a more accurate treatment of the dynamical properties of an inhomogeneous system, while reducing to the exact form for slowly varying densities and slowly varying external potentials. In this work, we present in detail the derivation of this XC potential, spell out the underlying assumptions, and explain their physical basis.