Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2610.07440

Coupled cluster theory for multireference and open-shell molecules

Sarai Dery Folkestad, Henrik Koch

physics.chem-phquant-phSubmitted Oct 5, 2026• Announced Oct 7, 2026
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce a simple coupled cluster approach for multireference and open-shell systems. In the restricted active space coupled cluster framework, the cluster operator only includes excitations from doubly occupied to virtual orbitals, and this ensures the individual operators commute among each other. The ground and excited states are obtained by diagonalisation of the coupled cluster similarity transformed Hamiltonian in a restricted active space. We demonstrate the framework for the RAS-CCSD model, where single and double excitations are included in the cluster operator, and likewise for a complete active space. We consider systems with multireference character and open-shell systems in a spin-adapted manner. The approach captures significantly more dynamical correlation than without the coupled cluster similarity transformation.

Related papers

An Alternative Algebraic Framework for the Simplification of Coupled Cluster Type Expectation Values

Daniel Pape

The Coupled-Cluster (CC) method is one of the most popular and efficient correlation methods in quantum chemistry. \nEspecially the CCSD(T) approximation, which includes single and double excitations by means of the application of the cluster operator \nto a reference determinant and triple excitations via a perturbative treatment, has become a standard tool \nin quantum chemical applications. However, the method is restricted to relatively small system sizes due to its unfavourable scaling (N^7, where N is the number of basis functions applied). \nFor the full treatment of triple excitations the scaling advances to N^8 and every further excitation level increases the exponent by two. \n \nThe goal of this work is to reduce the calculation time for closed shell systems at least by a factor growing with the excitation level for arbitrary truncation levels. \nThis is done by restricting the spatial parts of the spin orbitals and thus treat pairs of spin orbitals on the same footing. The restrictions can be easily constructed \nfor the CCSD model by spin integration. \nThe derivation of the restrictions arising in higher excited case will be done employing \nthe spatial orbital excitation operators E. \n \nIn the first part of this work an algorithm is derived that is capable of the derivation of the energy and amplitude equations for arbitrary excitation levels. In the second part \nan implementation of this algorithm is presented.

•Nov 12, 2013•0 citations

Unitary group approach to spin‐adapted open‐shell coupled cluster theory

Bogumił Jeziorski, Josef Paldus, Piotr Jankowski

Abstract We show that the irreducible tensor operators of the unitary group provide a natural operator basis for the exponential Ansatz which preserves the spin symmetry of the reference state, requires a minimal number of independent cluster amplitudes for each substitution order, and guarantees the invariance of the correlation energy under unitary transformations of core, open‐shell, and virtual orbitals. When acting on the closed‐shell reference state with nc doubly occupied and nv unoccupied (virtual) orbitals, the irreducible tensor operators of the group U(nc) ⊗ U(nV) generate all Gelfand‐Tsetlin (GT) states corresponding to appropriate irreducible representation of U(nc + nv). The tensor operators generating the M‐tuply excited states are easily constructed by symmetrizing products of M unitary group generators with the Wigner operators of the symmetric group SM. This provides an alternative to the Nagel‐Moshinsky construction of the GT basis. Since the corresponding cluster amplitudes, which are also U(nc) ⊗ U(ns) tensors, can be shown to be connected, the irreducible tensor operators of U(nc) ⊗ U(nv) represent a convenient basis for a spin‐adapted full coupled cluster calculation for closed‐shell systems. For a high‐spin reference determinant with n, singly occupied open‐shell orbitals, the corresponding representation of U(n), n=nc + nv + ns is not simply reducible under the group U(nc) ⊗ U(ns) ⊗ U(nv). The multiplicity problem is resolved using the group chain U(n) ⊃ U(nc + nv) ⊗ U(ns) ⊃ U(nc) ⊗U(ns)⊗ U(nv) ⊗ U(nv). The labeling of the resulting configuration‐state functions (which, in general, are not GT states when nc > 1) by the irreducible representations of the intermediate group U(nc + nv) ⊗U(ns) turns out to be equivalent to the classification based on the order of interaction with the reference state. The irreducible tensor operators defined by the above chain and corresponding to single, double, and triple substitutions from the first‐, second‐, and third‐order interacting spaces are explicitly constructed from the U(n) generators. The connectedness of the corresponding cluster amplitudes and, consequently, the size extensivity of the resulting spin‐adapted open‐shell coupled cluster theory are proved using group theoretical arguments. The perturbation expansion of the resulting coupled cluster equations leads to an explicitly connected form of the spin‐restricted open‐shell many‐body perturbation theory. Approximation schemes leading to manageable computational procedures are proposed and their relation to perturbation theory is discussed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

International Journal of Quantum Chemistry•Nov 5, 1995•79 citations

Excitation Energies from the Entanglement Coupled Cluster Model for Doublets

Sarai Dery Folkestad, Kristine Lauvstad Kruken, Henrik Koch A

We present a spin-adapted coupled cluster singles and doubles model for the excitation energies of molecular doublets. The entanglement coupled cluster approach represents an unconventional take on the notorious problem of spin adaptation for open-shell species. In this approach, the high-spin open-shell molecular system is coupled to non-interacting bath orbitals to form a total closed-shell system. In entanglement coupled cluster theory, many of the attractive features of the spin-adapted closed-shell coupled cluster are retained: an unambiguous definition of the cluster operator and a terminating Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff expansion. The model produces excitation energies of a quality comparable to that of the closed-shell counterpart. Additionally, some ionized states that cannot be modeled accurately with the alternative equation-of-motion approach for ionized states can be described with the entanglement coupled cluster singles and doubles model.

arXiv:2504.04459•The Journal of Physical Chemistry A•Jul 21, 2025•1 citation

Entanglement coupled cluster theory: Exact spin-adaptation

Sarai Dery Folkestad, Bendik Støa Sannes, Henrik Koch A

We present a novel framework for spin-adapted coupled cluster theory. The approach exploits the entanglement of an open-shell molecule with electrons in a non-interacting bath. Together, the molecule and the bath form a closed-shell system, and electron correlation can be included using the standard spin-adapted closed-shell coupled cluster formalism. A projection operator, which enforces conditions on the electrons in the bath, is used to obtain the desired state of the molecule. This entanglement coupled cluster theory is outlined, and proof-of-concept calculations for doublet states are reported. The approach is further extendable to open-shell systems with other values of the total spin.

arXiv:2301.12228•The Journal of Chemical Physics•Jun 12, 2023•6 citations

On Coupled Cluster Theory and Beyond

Mohsen Doust Mohammadi

Coupled cluster (CC) theory is the “gold standard” of molecular electronic structure theory, yet the full arc of the subject—from its variational origins in Hartree–Fock theory, through the exponential ansatz and its diagrammatic machinery, to its modern reformulation as a system of polynomial equations on an algebraic variety, its multireference generalizations, and its emerging reincarnation as a quantum circuit—is rarely presented as a single connected narrative. This review builds that narrative completely from first principles and carries it through to today’s research frontier. Starting from the electronic Schrödinger equation, we derive Hartree–Fock theory, second quantization, and Wick’s theorem; construct the coupled cluster singles-and-doubles (CCSD) equations via the similarity-transformed Hamiltonian; and show how these same equations reappear, verbatim, as a truncated eigenvalue problem on a projective variety generalizing the Grassmannian, with a computable CC degree controlling the number of solutions. We then develop the perturbative triples correction CCSD(T), the linear-response equationof-motion (EOM-CC) framework for excited, ionized, and electron-attached states, the effective-Hamiltonian formalism underlying multireference coupled cluster theory and its notorious intruder-state problem, and the unitary coupled cluster (UCC) ansatz that restores the variational principle at the cost of an infinite operator expansion—tamed, on a quantum computer, by Trotterization and the variational quantum eigensolver. We close with a synthesis of what is rigorously known about the resulting nonlinear equations, a map of directions deliberately left out of scope, and an assessment of the open question of quantum advantage in this domain. Every claim is stated formally, with a full statement and proof or proof sketch, and cited to its origin; the computational cost of every method is compared explicitly throughout.

•Sep 8, 2026•0 citations

Three Lagrangians for the complete-active space coupled-cluster method

Simen Kvaal

Three fully variational formulations of the complete-active space coupled-cluster method are derived. The formulations include the ability to approximate the model vectors by smooth manifolds, thereby opening up the possibility for overcoming the exponential wall of scaling for model spaces of complete-active space type. In particular, model vectors of matrix-product states are considered, and it is argued that the present variational formulation allows not only favorably scaling multireference coupled-cluster calculations but also systematic correction of tailored coupled-cluster calculations and of quantum chemical density-matrix renormalization group methods, which are fast and polynomial scaling but lack the ability to properly resolve dynamical correlation at chemical accuracy. The extension of the variational formulations to the time domain is also discussed, with derivations of abstract evolution equations.

arXiv:2205.08792•The Journal of Chemical Physics•Jun 26, 2023•3 citations
We introduce a simple coupled cluster approach for multireference and open-shell systems. In the restricted active space coupled cluster framework, the cluster operator only includes excitations from doubly occupied to virtual orbitals, and this ensures the individual operators commute among each other. The ground and excited states are obtained by diagonalisation of the coupled cluster similarity transformed Hamiltonian in a restricted active space. We demonstrate the framework for the RAS-CCSD model, where single and double excitations are included in the cluster operator, and likewise for a complete active space. We consider systems with multireference character and open-shell systems in a spin-adapted manner. The approach captures significantly more dynamical correlation than without the coupled cluster similarity transformation.
The Coupled-Cluster (CC) method is one of the most popular and efficient correlation methods in quantum chemistry. \nEspecially the CCSD(T) approximation, which includes single and double excitations by means of the application of the cluster operator \nto a reference determinant and triple excitations via a perturbative treatment, has become a standard tool \nin quantum chemical applications. However, the method is restricted to relatively small system sizes due to its unfavourable scaling (N^7, where N is the number of basis functions applied). \nFor the full treatment of triple excitations the scaling advances to N^8 and every further excitation level increases the exponent by two. \n \nThe goal of this work is to reduce the calculation time for closed shell systems at least by a factor growing with the excitation level for arbitrary truncation levels. \nThis is done by restricting the spatial parts of the spin orbitals and thus treat pairs of spin orbitals on the same footing. The restrictions can be easily constructed \nfor the CCSD model by spin integration. \nThe derivation of the restrictions arising in higher excited case will be done employing \nthe spatial orbital excitation operators E. \n \nIn the first part of this work an algorithm is derived that is capable of the derivation of the energy and amplitude equations for arbitrary excitation levels. In the second part \nan implementation of this algorithm is presented.
Abstract We show that the irreducible tensor operators of the unitary group provide a natural operator basis for the exponential Ansatz which preserves the spin symmetry of the reference state, requires a minimal number of independent cluster amplitudes for each substitution order, and guarantees the invariance of the correlation energy under unitary transformations of core, open‐shell, and virtual orbitals. When acting on the closed‐shell reference state with nc doubly occupied and nv unoccupied (virtual) orbitals, the irreducible tensor operators of the group U(nc) ⊗ U(nV) generate all Gelfand‐Tsetlin (GT) states corresponding to appropriate irreducible representation of U(nc + nv). The tensor operators generating the M‐tuply excited states are easily constructed by symmetrizing products of M unitary group generators with the Wigner operators of the symmetric group SM. This provides an alternative to the Nagel‐Moshinsky construction of the GT basis. Since the corresponding cluster amplitudes, which are also U(nc) ⊗ U(ns) tensors, can be shown to be connected, the irreducible tensor operators of U(nc) ⊗ U(nv) represent a convenient basis for a spin‐adapted full coupled cluster calculation for closed‐shell systems. For a high‐spin reference determinant with n, singly occupied open‐shell orbitals, the corresponding representation of U(n), n=nc + nv + ns is not simply reducible under the group U(nc) ⊗ U(ns) ⊗ U(nv). The multiplicity problem is resolved using the group chain U(n) ⊃ U(nc + nv) ⊗ U(ns) ⊃ U(nc) ⊗U(ns)⊗ U(nv) ⊗ U(nv). The labeling of the resulting configuration‐state functions (which, in general, are not GT states when nc > 1) by the irreducible representations of the intermediate group U(nc + nv) ⊗U(ns) turns out to be equivalent to the classification based on the order of interaction with the reference state. The irreducible tensor operators defined by the above chain and corresponding to single, double, and triple substitutions from the first‐, second‐, and third‐order interacting spaces are explicitly constructed from the U(n) generators. The connectedness of the corresponding cluster amplitudes and, consequently, the size extensivity of the resulting spin‐adapted open‐shell coupled cluster theory are proved using group theoretical arguments. The perturbation expansion of the resulting coupled cluster equations leads to an explicitly connected form of the spin‐restricted open‐shell many‐body perturbation theory. Approximation schemes leading to manageable computational procedures are proposed and their relation to perturbation theory is discussed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
We present a spin-adapted coupled cluster singles and doubles model for the excitation energies of molecular doublets. The entanglement coupled cluster approach represents an unconventional take on the notorious problem of spin adaptation for open-shell species. In this approach, the high-spin open-shell molecular system is coupled to non-interacting bath orbitals to form a total closed-shell system. In entanglement coupled cluster theory, many of the attractive features of the spin-adapted closed-shell coupled cluster are retained: an unambiguous definition of the cluster operator and a terminating Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff expansion. The model produces excitation energies of a quality comparable to that of the closed-shell counterpart. Additionally, some ionized states that cannot be modeled accurately with the alternative equation-of-motion approach for ionized states can be described with the entanglement coupled cluster singles and doubles model.
We present a novel framework for spin-adapted coupled cluster theory. The approach exploits the entanglement of an open-shell molecule with electrons in a non-interacting bath. Together, the molecule and the bath form a closed-shell system, and electron correlation can be included using the standard spin-adapted closed-shell coupled cluster formalism. A projection operator, which enforces conditions on the electrons in the bath, is used to obtain the desired state of the molecule. This entanglement coupled cluster theory is outlined, and proof-of-concept calculations for doublet states are reported. The approach is further extendable to open-shell systems with other values of the total spin.
Coupled cluster (CC) theory is the “gold standard” of molecular electronic structure theory, yet the full arc of the subject—from its variational origins in Hartree–Fock theory, through the exponential ansatz and its diagrammatic machinery, to its modern reformulation as a system of polynomial equations on an algebraic variety, its multireference generalizations, and its emerging reincarnation as a quantum circuit—is rarely presented as a single connected narrative. This review builds that narrative completely from first principles and carries it through to today’s research frontier. Starting from the electronic Schrödinger equation, we derive Hartree–Fock theory, second quantization, and Wick’s theorem; construct the coupled cluster singles-and-doubles (CCSD) equations via the similarity-transformed Hamiltonian; and show how these same equations reappear, verbatim, as a truncated eigenvalue problem on a projective variety generalizing the Grassmannian, with a computable CC degree controlling the number of solutions. We then develop the perturbative triples correction CCSD(T), the linear-response equationof-motion (EOM-CC) framework for excited, ionized, and electron-attached states, the effective-Hamiltonian formalism underlying multireference coupled cluster theory and its notorious intruder-state problem, and the unitary coupled cluster (UCC) ansatz that restores the variational principle at the cost of an infinite operator expansion—tamed, on a quantum computer, by Trotterization and the variational quantum eigensolver. We close with a synthesis of what is rigorously known about the resulting nonlinear equations, a map of directions deliberately left out of scope, and an assessment of the open question of quantum advantage in this domain. Every claim is stated formally, with a full statement and proof or proof sketch, and cited to its origin; the computational cost of every method is compared explicitly throughout.
Three fully variational formulations of the complete-active space coupled-cluster method are derived. The formulations include the ability to approximate the model vectors by smooth manifolds, thereby opening up the possibility for overcoming the exponential wall of scaling for model spaces of complete-active space type. In particular, model vectors of matrix-product states are considered, and it is argued that the present variational formulation allows not only favorably scaling multireference coupled-cluster calculations but also systematic correction of tailored coupled-cluster calculations and of quantum chemical density-matrix renormalization group methods, which are fast and polynomial scaling but lack the ability to properly resolve dynamical correlation at chemical accuracy. The extension of the variational formulations to the time domain is also discussed, with derivations of abstract evolution equations.