A dynamical formulation of coupled cluster theory is derived using a variational principle. By allowing time-dependent single-particle functions, a high degree of adaptivity is introduced, allowing complex systems to be simulated with high accuracy. Equations of motion are derived which are shown to be suitable for computer implementation. The method, called adaptive time-dependent coupled cluster, is a strict generalization of the formulation used in standard coupled cluster response theory, and also represents a systematic hierarchy of size-consistent approximations, including standard time-dependent Hartree--Fock as a trivial case.
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.
Coupled-cluster (CC) theory and Green's function many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) have long evolved as distinct yet complementary frameworks for describing electronic correlation. While CC methods employ exponential wavefunction parametrizations that guarantee size extensivity and systematic improvability, Green's function approaches such as the
GW approximation describe quasiparticle and optical excitations through diagrammatic resummations. Recent analyses have established a formal correspondence between these frameworks: the
GW approximation is equivalent to an equation-of-motion (EOM) treatment of the direct-ring coupled-cluster doubles (drCCD) method. Within this context, the extended CC (ECC) ansatz offers a unified framework connecting CC and MBPT. This formulation bridges CC-based and Green's function-based methods, providing novel avenues for incorporating vertex corrections within a CC framework that preserves a sum-over-state representation of the self-energy and lead to potentially systematically improvable Green's function approaches.