Time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory (DFT) is an efficient method for calculating the dynamic properties of large-scale quantum systems due to the low computational cost compared to standard time-dependent DFT. We formalize this method by mapping the real system of interacting fermions onto a fictitious system of noninteracting bosons. The dynamic Pauli potential and associated kernel emerge as key ingredients of time-dependent orbital-free DFT. Using the uniform electron gas as a model system, we derive an approximate frequency-dependent Pauli kernel. Pilot calculations suggest that space nonlocality is a key feature for this kernel. Nonlocal terms arise already in the second-order expansion with respect to unitless frequency and reciprocal space variable ($\frac{\ensuremath{\omega}}{q\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{k}_{F}}$ and $\frac{q}{2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{k}_{F}}$, respectively). Given the encouraging performance of the proposed kernel, we expect it will lead to more accurate orbital-free DFT simulations of nanoscale systems out of equilibrium. Additionally, the proposed path to formulate nonadiabatic Pauli kernels presents several avenues for further improvements which can be exploited in future work to improve the results.
Time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory (DFT) is an efficient method for calculating the dynamic properties of large-scale quantum systems due to the low computational cost compared to standard time-dependent DFT. We formalize this method by mapping the real system of interacting fermions onto a fictitious system of noninteracting bosons. The dynamic Pauli potential and associated kernel emerge as key ingredients of time-dependent orbital-free DFT. Using the uniform electron gas as a model system, we derive an approximate frequency-dependent Pauli kernel. Pilot calculations suggest that space nonlocality is a key feature for this kernel. Nonlocal terms arise already in the second-order expansion with respect to unitless frequency and reciprocal space variable (qkF\ensuremathω and 2kFq, respectively). Given the encouraging performance of the proposed kernel, we expect it will lead to more accurate orbital-free DFT simulations of nanoscale systems out of equilibrium. Additionally, the proposed path to formulate nonadiabatic Pauli kernels presents several avenues for further improvements which can be exploited in future work to improve the results.
Accurate descriptions of the electronic properties of molecules, solids and other materials are crucial in the development of many modern technologies, and are therefore the subject of much scientific research. In tandem with experimental research, computational simulations play a huge role. Density functional theory (DFT) is the most popular method for performing ground-state electronic structure calculations due to its accuracy in many situations along with its computational efficiency. Its time-dependent extension (TDDFT) allows the modelling of the dynamics of systems of interacting electrons. (TD)DFT is an exact theory in principle, but requires approximations in practice, specifically to the many-body effects of electron exchange and correlation (xc), which are described by some unknown universal functional. Despite much success, it often proves inadequate in many scenarios of increasing interest. Therefore, we aim to contribute to the development of improved approximate density functionals. \n \nIn this thesis, we take the approach of studying small model systems for which we can compute the exact functionals. These systems are designed to exhibit the key features present in realistic quantum systems, such as atoms and molecules, which the exact universal (TD)DFT functional is capable of describing, but are often ill-described by the commonly used approximations. By analysing the nature of these exact functionals, we gain valuable insight into their fundamental properties, together with identifying where the current approximations are lacking, thereby allowing us to suggest how these approximations may be improved.
Since the early days of quantum mechanics, the wave function theory has proven to be very successful in describing many different quantum processes and phenomena. However, in many problems of quantum chemistry and solid-state physics, where the dimensionality of the systems studied is relatively high, ab initio calculations of the structure of atoms, molecules, clusters, and crystals, and their interactions are very often prohibitive. Hence, alternative formulations based on the direct use of the probability density, gathered under what is generally known as the density matrix theory [1], were also developed since the very beginning of the new mechanics. The independent electron approximation or Thomas-Fermi model, and the Hartree and Hartree-Fock approaches are former statistical models developed in that direction [2]. These models can be considered direct predecessors of the more recent density functional theory (DFT) [3], whose principles were established by Hohenberg, Kohn, and Sham [4,5] in the mid-1960s. According to this theory, the fundamental physical information about a many-body system is provided by single-particle densities in a three-dimensional space, which are obtained variationally within a time-independent framework. When compared with other previous formalisms, DFT presents two clear advantages: (1) it is able to treat many-body problems in a sufficiently accurate way and (2) it is computationally simple. This explains why it is one of the most widely used theories to deal with electronic structure-the electronic ground-state energy as a function of the position of the atomic nuclei determines molecular structures and solids, providing at the same time the forces acting on the atomic nuclei when they are not at their equilibrium positions. At present, DFT is used routinely to solve many problems in gas phase and condensed matter. Furthermore, it has made possible the development of accurate molecular dynamics schemes in which the forces are evaluated quantum mechanically ‘‘on the fly.’’ Nonetheless, DFT is a fundamental tool provided the systems studied are relatively large; for small systems, standard methods based on the use of the wave function render quite accurate results [6]. Moreover, it is also worth stressing that all practical applications of DFT rely on essentially uncontrolled approximations [7] (e.g., the local density approximation [4,5], the local spin-density approximation, or generalized gradient approximations [8]), and therefore the validity of DFT is conditioned to its capability to provide fairly good values of the experimental data.
Density-potential-functional theory (DPFT) is an alternative formulation of orbital-free density functional theory that may be suitable for modeling the electronic structure of large systems. To date, DPFT has been applied mainly to quantum gases in one- and two-dimensional settings. In this work, we study the performance of DPFT when applied to real-life systems: atoms, dimers, and nanoparticles. We build on systematic Suzuki-Trotter factorizations of the quantum-mechanical propagator and on the Wigner function formalism, respectively, to derive nonlocal as well as semilocal functional approximations in complete analogy to their well-established lower-dimensional versions, without resorting to system-specific approximations or ad hoc measures of any kind. The cost for computing the associated semiclassical ground-state single-particle density scales (quasi)linearly with particle number. We illustrate that the developed density formulas become relatively more accurate for larger particle numbers, can be improved systematically, are quite universally applicable, and, hence, may offer alternatives to existing orbital-free methods for mesoscopic quantum systems.
We present a rigorous framework which combines single-particle Green's function theory with density functional theory based on a separation of electron-electron interactions into short- and long-range components. Short-range contribution to the total energy and exchange-correlation potential is provided by a density functional approximation, while the long-range contribution is calculated using an explicit many-body Green's function method. Such a hybrid results in a nonlocal, dynamic, and orbital-dependent exchange-correlation functional of a single-particle Green's function. In particular, we present a range-separated hybrid functional called srSVWN5-lrGF2 which combines the local-density approximation and the second-order Green's function theory. We illustrate that similarly to density functional approximations, the new functional is weakly basis-set dependent. Furthermore, it offers an improved description of the short-range dynamic correlation. The many-body contribution to the functional mitigates the many-electron self-interaction error present in many density functional approximations and provides a better description of molecular properties. Additionally, we illustrate that the new functional can be used to scale down the self-energy and, therefore, introduce an additional sparsity to the self-energy matrix that in the future can be exploited in calculations for large molecules or periodic systems.
Given the time-evolution of an electron charge density, the local potential in Kohn-Sham time-dependent density functional theory (KS-TDDFT) can be modeled as a sum of instantaneous and dynamic contributions by assuming a certain form of the time-dependent Kohn-Sham (TD-KS) orbitals. The instantaneous part is obtained numerically using methods from ground-state density functional theory (DFT) and the dynamic part is expressed in terms of a velocity potential that depends on the electron current density. The suggested form of the TD-KS orbitals satisfies several known constraints (orthonormality, N-representability, J-representability), and the domain of validity is shown to depend on the evolution of the instantaneous quantities. Through this decomposition, we can relate time-dependent and ground -state V-representability. The resulting potentials are shown numerically to approximate the exact time-dependent Kohn-Sham potentials for a set of 3 non-singlet two-particle systems (a Kohn-mode, a Coulomb explosion, and a double quantum well) where the exact solutions and reference densities are known or obtained through configuration interaction (CI) approaches.
The general expectation that, in principle, the time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) is an exact formulation of the time evolution of an interacting N-electron system is critically reexamined. It is demonstrated that the previous TDDFT foundation, resting on four theorems by Runge and Gross (RG) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 52, 997 (1984)], is invalid because undefined phase factors corrupt the RG action integral functionals. Our finding confirms much of a previous analysis by van Leeuwen [Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 15, 1969 (2001)]. To analyze the RG theorems and other aspects of TDDFT, an utmost simplification of the Kohn-Sham (KS) concept has been introduced, in which the ground-state density is obtained from a single KS equation for one spatial (spinless) orbital. The time-dependent (TD) form of this radical Kohn-Sham (rKS) scheme, which has the same validity status as the ordinary KS version, has proved to be a valuable tool for analysis. The rKS concept is used to clarify also the alternative nonvariational formulation of TD KS theory. We argue that it is just a formal theory, allowing one to reproduce but not predict the time development of the exact density of the interacting N-electron system. Besides the issue of the formal exactness of TDDFT, it is shown that both the static and time-dependent KS linear response equations neglect the particle-particle (p-p) and hole-hole (h-h) matrix elements of the perturbing operator. For a local (multiplicative) operator this does not lead to a loss of information due to a remarkable general property of local operators. Accordingly, no logical inconsistency arises with respect to DFT, because DFT requires any external potential to be local. For a general nonlocal operator the error resulting from the neglected matrix elements is of second order in the electronic repulsion.