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arXiv:2610.30887

A sharp gradient-corrected Lieb--Thirring inequality in one dimension with applications to density functional theory

Thiago Carvalho Corso, Louis Garrigue

math-phmath.SPphysics.chem-phquant-phSubmitted Oct 22, 2026• Announced Oct 23, 2026
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Abstract

We first prove a sharp Lieb-Thirring inequality with semi-classical constant and gradient correction in one dimension. In the periodic setting, the corresponding inequality also includes a parity dependent shell-correction term, which appears to be new. Moreover, we also characterize the optimizers of these inequalities. In particular, the optimizing density profiles form a two-dimensional manifold, which we call here the Poincaré density manifold. We then apply these results to study the Thomas--Fermi--von Weizsäcker (TFW) approximation of the kinetic energy in Density Functional Theory. More precisely, we first obtain an explicit and non-asymptotic bound on the global and local error made by the TFW approximation. These bounds are controlled by the distance of the normalized density profile from the Poincaré density manifold times the number of particles. In particular, these bounds show that the TFW approximation is exact on the Poincaré manifold. We then show that, in the periodic setting, the distance between the Kohn-Sham potential and the inverse TFW potential in the natural dual Sobolev space can also be controlled by explicit density dependent constants times the distance to the Poincaré manifold. As a corollary, we prove that for a fixed density profile, the Kohn-Sham potential converges towards the inverse Thomas--Fermi potential in the high-density limit $N \rightarrow \infty$ with asymptotic rate of order $N^{-2}$. This rate is shown to be optimal.

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In earlier work, expressions have been constructed for the single-particle kinetic-energy functional ${T}_{s}[\ensuremath{\rho}]$ for independent fermions subject to harmonic confinement in low dimensions, with $\ensuremath{\rho}$ the particle density. Here, the differential equation for $\ensuremath{\rho}$ is first obtained in d dimensions for an arbitrary number of closed shells. Then, by using the known Euler-Lagrange equation, the functional derivative $\ensuremath{\delta}{T}_{s}/\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\rho}(\mathbf{r})$ is constructed. ${T}_{s}[\ensuremath{\rho}]$ itself is proved to take the form of a linear combination of three pieces: (i) a von Weizs\"acker inhomogeneity kinetic energy, but with the original coefficient reduced by a dimensionality factor $1/d,$ (ii) a Thomas-Fermi kinetic energy, and (iii) a truly nonlocal contribution that, however, is shown to involve only the density $\ensuremath{\rho}$ itself and its first derivative. Thus, for this model, which is currently highly relevant to the interpretation of experiments on the evaporative cooling of dilute, and hence almost noninteracting, fermions, a complete density-functional theory now exists.

Physical Review A•Nov 22, 2002•25 citations
We first prove a sharp Lieb-Thirring inequality with semi-classical constant and gradient correction in one dimension. In the periodic setting, the corresponding inequality also includes a parity dependent shell-correction term, which appears to be new. Moreover, we also characterize the optimizers of these inequalities. In particular, the optimizing density profiles form a two-dimensional manifold, which we call here the Poincaré density manifold.
We then apply these results to study the Thomas--Fermi--von Weizsäcker (TFW) approximation of the kinetic energy in Density Functional Theory. More precisely, we first obtain an explicit and non-asymptotic bound on the global and local error made by the TFW approximation. These bounds are controlled by the distance of the normalized density profile from the Poincaré density manifold times the number of particles. In particular, these bounds show that the TFW approximation is exact on the Poincaré manifold. We then show that, in the periodic setting, the distance between the Kohn-Sham potential and the inverse TFW potential in the natural dual Sobolev space can also be controlled by explicit density dependent constants times the distance to the Poincaré manifold. As a corollary, we prove that for a fixed density profile, the Kohn-Sham potential converges towards the inverse Thomas--Fermi potential in the high-density limit N→∞N \rightarrow \inftyN→∞ with asymptotic rate of order N−2N^{-2}N−2. This rate is shown to be optimal.
We examine the leading-order semiclassical gradient corrections to the noninteracting kinetic-energy density functional of a two-dimensional Fermi gas by applying the extended Thomas-Fermi theory at finite temperature. We find a nonzero von Weizs\"acker-like gradient correction, which in the high-temperature limit goes over to the functional form $(\ensuremath{\hbar}{}^{2}/24m)(\ensuremath{\nabla}\ensuremath{\rho}){}^{2}/\ensuremath{\rho}$. Our work provides a theoretical justification for the inclusion of gradient corrections in applications of density-functional theory to inhomogeneous two-dimensional Fermi systems at any finite temperature.
In this paper we investigate the (Kohn-Sham) density-to-potential map in the case of spinless fermions in one spatial dimension, whose existence has been rigorously established by the first author in [Lett. Math. Phys. 116, (2026), no. 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11005-026-02051-1]. Here, we focus on the regularity of this map as a function of the density and the coupling constant in front of the interaction term. More precisely, we first prove a quantitative version of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem, thereby showing that this map is Lipschitz continuous with respect to the natural Sobolev norms in the space of densities and potentials. In particular, this implies that the inverse (Kohn-Sham) problem is not only well-posed but also Lipschitz stable. Using this result, we then show that the density-to-potential map is in fact real analytic with respect to both the density and the interaction strength. As a consequence, we obtain a holomorphic extension of the universal constrained-search functional to a suitable subset of complex-valued densities. This partially extends the DFT framework to non-self-adjoint Schrödinger operators. As further applications of these results, we also establish the existence of an exchange-only part of the exchange-correlation potential, and justify the Görling-Levy perturbation expansion for the correlation energy.
Exact density-functional theory is recast here as two parallel exact ensemble variational hierarchies: an interacting hierarchy rooted in Lieb's ensemble formulation and a noninteracting hierarchy rooted in exact noninteracting ensemble theory. In optimization terms, NNN-representability is primal feasibility, Legendre-Fenchel duality equates the primal and dual values, vvv-representability is dual attainment, and the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem gives uniqueness, modulo constants, of an attained local potential. The Kohn-Sham construction couples the interacting density-space optimality condition to a compatible noninteracting dual realization on their common NNN-representable density domain. State-class restrictions yield the Levy-Lieb and single-determinant branches, while fractional particle number and fractional occupations lead naturally to piecewise linearity, one-sided chemical potentials, Janak-type relations, and the derivative discontinuity. This organization locates the exactness of Kohn-Sham theory in the preservation of the interacting density-space optimization together with its compatible noninteracting realization, without implying a general many-body spectral interpretation of Kohn-Sham eigenvalues.
For an ideal D-dimensional Fermi gas under generic external confinement we derive the correcting coefficient (D−2)/3D(D-2)/3D(D−2)/3D of the von Weizsacker term in the kinetic energy density. To obtain this coefficient we use the Kirzhnits semiclassical expansion of the number operator up to the second order in the Planck constant ℏ\hbarℏ. Within this simple and direct approach we determine the differential equation of the density profile and the density functional of the Fermi gas. In the case D=2 we find that the Kirzhnits gradient corrections vanish to all order in ℏ\hbarℏ.
In a recent paper [B. P. van Zyl et al., Phys. Rev. A 89, 022503 (2014)], the average density approximation (ADA) was implemented to develop a parameter-free, nonlocal kinetic energy functional to be used in the orbital-free density functional theory of an inhomogeneous, two-dimensional (2D) Fermi gas. In this work, we provide a detailed comparison of self-consistent calculations within the ADA with the exact results of the Kohn-Sham density functional theory and the elementary Thomas-Fermi (TF) approximation. We demonstrate that the ADA for the 2D kinetic energy functional works very well under a wide variety of confinement potentials, even for relatively small particle numbers. Remarkably, the TF approximation for the kinetic energy functional, without any gradient corrections, also yields good agreement with the exact kinetic energy for all confining potentials considered, although at the expense of the spatial and kinetic energy densities exhibiting poor pointwise agreement, particularly near the TF radius. Our findings illustrate that the ADA kinetic energy functional yields accurate results for both the local and global equilibrium properties of an inhomogeneous 2D Fermi gas, without the need for any fitting parameters.
In earlier work, expressions have been constructed for the single-particle kinetic-energy functional ${T}_{s}[\ensuremath{\rho}]$ for independent fermions subject to harmonic confinement in low dimensions, with $\ensuremath{\rho}$ the particle density. Here, the differential equation for $\ensuremath{\rho}$ is first obtained in d dimensions for an arbitrary number of closed shells. Then, by using the known Euler-Lagrange equation, the functional derivative $\ensuremath{\delta}{T}_{s}/\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\rho}(\mathbf{r})$ is constructed. ${T}_{s}[\ensuremath{\rho}]$ itself is proved to take the form of a linear combination of three pieces: (i) a von Weizs\"acker inhomogeneity kinetic energy, but with the original coefficient reduced by a dimensionality factor 1/d,1/d,1/d, (ii) a Thomas-Fermi kinetic energy, and (iii) a truly nonlocal contribution that, however, is shown to involve only the density $\ensuremath{\rho}$ itself and its first derivative. Thus, for this model, which is currently highly relevant to the interpretation of experiments on the evaporative cooling of dilute, and hence almost noninteracting, fermions, a complete density-functional theory now exists.