Identifying Electronic Modes by Fourier Transform from δ-Kick Time-Evolution TDDFT Calculations

Plasmon-induced hot carrier distribution in a composite nanosystem: role of the adsorption site

The generation of hot carriers (HCs) through the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in metal nanostructures is a fascinating phenomenon that fuels both fundamental and applied research. However, gaining insights into HCs at a microscopic level has posed a complex challenge, limiting our ability to create efficient nanoantennas that utilize these energized carriers. In this investigation, we employ real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) calculations to examine the creation and distribution of HCs within a model composite system consisting of a silver (Ag) nanodisk and a carbon monoxide (CO) molecule. We find that the creation and distribution of HCs are notably affected by the CO adsorption site. Particularly, when the CO molecule adsorbs onto the hollow site of the Ag nanodisk, it exhibits the highest potential among various composite systems in terms of structural stability, enhanced orbital hybridization, and HC generation and transfer. Utilizing a Gaussian laser pulse adjusted to match the LSPR frequency, we observe a marked buildup of hot electrons and hot holes on the C and O atoms. Conversely, the region encompassing the C-O bond exhibits a depletion of hot electrons and hot holes. We believe that these findings could have significant implications in the field of HC photocatalysis.

Visualizing and characterizing excited states from time-dependent density functional theory

Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is the most widely-used electronic structure method for excited states, due to a favorable combination of low cost and semi-quantitative accuracy in many contexts, even if there are well recognized limitations. This Perspective describes various ways in which excited states from TD-DFT calculations can be visualized and analyzed, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This includes not just orbitals and densities but also well-defined statistical measures of electron-hole separation and of Frenkel-type exciton delocalization. Emphasis is placed on mathematical connections between methods that have often been discussed separately. Particular attention is paid to charge-transfer diagnostics, which provide indicators of when TD-DFT may not be trustworthy due to its categorical failure to describe long-range electron transfer. Measures of exciton size and charge separation that are directly connected to the underlying transition density are recommended over more ad hoc metrics for quantifying charge-transfer character.

Recent Advances in Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Simulations of Plasmonic Nanostructures and Plasmonic Photocatalysis

Plasmonic catalysis provides a possible means for driving chemical reactions under relatively mild conditions. Rational design of these systems is impeded by the difficulty in understanding the electron dynamics and their interplay with reactions. Real-time, time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) can provide dynamic information on excited states in plasmonic systems, including those relevant to plasmonic catalysis, at time scales and length scales that are otherwise out of reach of many experimental techniques. Here, we discuss previous RT-TDDFT studies of plasmonic systems, focusing on recent work that gains insight into plasmonic catalysis. These studies provide insight into plasmon dynamics, including size effects and the role of specific electronic states. Further, these studies provide significant insight into mechanisms underlying plasmonic catalysis, showing the importance of charge transfer between metal and adsorbate states, as well as local field enhancement, in different systems.

Visualizing screening in noble-metal clusters: static vs. dynamic

The localized surface-plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles and clusters corresponds to a collective charge oscillation of the quasi-free metal electrons. The polarization of the more localized d electrons opposes the overall polarization of the electron cloud and thus screens the surface plasmon. By contrast, a static electric external field is well screened, as even very small noble-metal clusters are highly metallic: the field inside is practically zero except for the effect of the Friedel-oscillation-like modulations which lead to small values of the polarization of the d electrons. In the present article, we present and compare representations of the induced densities (i) connected to the surface-plasmon resonance and (ii) resulting from an external static electric field. The two cases allow for an intuitive understanding of the differences between the dynamic and the static screening.

Analyzing Excitation-Energy Transfer Based on the Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory in Real Time

Excitation-energy transfer is a key step in processes such as photosynthesis that convert light into other forms of energy. Time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) in real time is ideal for the first-principles simulation of such processes due to its computational efficiency. We here demonstrate how real-time DFT can be used for analyzing excitation-energy transfer from first-principles. We discuss several measures of energy transfer that are based solely on the time-dependent density, are well founded in the DFT framework, allow for intuitive understanding and visualization, and reproduce important limiting cases of an analytical model. We demonstrate their usefulness in calculations for model systems, both with static nuclei and in the context of DFT-based Ehrenfest dynamics.

Environment Effects on X-Ray Absorption Spectra With Quantum Embedded Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Approaches

In this work we implement the real-time time-dependent block-orthogonalized Manby-Miller embedding (rt-BOMME) approach alongside our previously developed real-time frozen density embedding time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT-in-DFT FDE) code, and investigate these methods’ performance in reproducing X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) obtained with standard rt-TDDFT simulations, for model systems comprised of solvated fluoride and chloride ions ([X@(H2O)8−, X = F, Cl). We observe that for ground-state quantities such as core orbital energies, the BOMME approach shows significantly better agreement with supermolecular results than FDE for the strongly interacting fluoride system, while for chloride the two embedding approaches show more similar results. For the excited states, we see that while FDE (constrained not to have the environment densities relaxed in the ground state) is in good agreement with the reference calculations for the region around the K and L1 edges, and is capable of reproducing the splitting of the 1s1 (n + 1)p1 final states (n + 1 being the lowest virtual p orbital of the halides), it by and large fails to properly reproduce the 1s1 (n + 2)p1 states and misses the electronic states arising from excitation to orbitals with important contributions from the solvent. The BOMME results, on the other hand, provide a faithful qualitative representation of the spectra in all energy regions considered, though its intrinsic approximation of employing a lower-accuracy exchange-correlation functional for the environment induces non-negligible shifts in peak positions for the excitations from the halide to the environment. Our results thus confirm that QM/QM embedding approaches are viable alternatives to standard real-time simulations of X-ray absorption spectra of species in complex or confined environments.

Attosecond charge migration following oxygen K-shell ionization in DNA bases and base pairs

Core ionization of DNA begins a cascade of events which could lead to cellular inactivation or death. The created core-hole following an impulse inner-shell ionization of molecules naturally decays in the auger timescale. We simulated charge migration (CM) phenomena following an impulsive core ionization of individual DNA bases at the oxygen K-edge which occurs before Auger decay of the oxygen. Our approach is based on real-time time dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT). It is shown that the pronounced hole fluctuation observed around bonds of the initial core-hole results in various valence orbital migrations. Also, the same photo-core-ionized dynamics is studied for the related base pairs. We investigate the role of base pairing and H-bonding interactions in the attosecond CM dynamics. In particular, the creation of a core-hole in the oxygen involved in H-bonding leads to an enhancement of charge migration relative to the respective single bases. Importantly, the hole oscillation of the adenine-thymine base pair upon creation of a core-hole at the oxygen, which does not contribute to the donor-acceptor interactions (not H-bonded), decreases compared to the single thymine base. Understanding the detailed dynamics of the localized core-hole initiating CM process would open the way for chemically controlling DNA damage/repair in the future.

Crucial Role of Conjugation in Monolayer-Protected Metal Clusters with Aromatic Ligands: Insights from the Archetypal Au144L60 Cluster Compounds

Ligand-protected metal clusters are employed in a great many applications that include notably energy conversion and biomedical uses. The interaction between the ligands and the metallic cores, mediated by an often complex interface, profoundly influences the properties of small clusters, in particular. Nonetheless, the mechanisms of interaction remain far from fully understood. The Au₁₄₄L₆₀ class of cluster compounds has long played a central role in the study of monolayer-protected clusters, but total structure determination has been achieved only recently for a thiolated and an all-alkynyl cluster. Both ligands contain aromatic rings but differ in their ligation to the metal core: conjugation along a triple bond in the latter, saturation in the former. We demonstrate the paramount importance of the conjugation in the connection between aromatic ligand rings and metal cores for the electronic and optical properties and, by extension, the critical transport properties, providing a crucial element for the development of design-principle-based synthesis.

Theoretical method for near-field Raman spectroscopy with multipolar Hamiltonian and real-time-TDDFT: Application to on- and off-resonance tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in combination with scanning tunneling microscopy could produce ultrahigh-resolution Raman spectra and images for single-molecule vibrations. Furthermore, a recent experimental study successfully decoupled the interaction between the molecule and the substrate/tip to investigate the intrinsic properties of molecules and their near-field interactions by Raman spectroscopy. In such a circumstance, more explicit treatments of the near field and molecular interactions beyond the dipole approximation would be desirable. Here, we propose a theoretical method based on the multipolar Hamiltonian that considers full spatial distribution of the electric field under the framework of real-time time-dependent density functional theory. This approach allows us to treat the on- and off-resonance Raman phenomena on the same footing. For demonstration, a model for the on- and off-resonance tip-enhanced Raman process in benzene was constructed. The obtained Raman spectra are well understood by considering both the spatial structure of the near field and the molecular vibration in the off-resonance condition. For the on-resonance condition, the Raman spectra are governed by the transition moment, in addition to the selection rule of off-resonance Raman. Interestingly, on-resonance Raman can be activated even when the near field forbids the π-π^* transition at equilibrium geometry due to vibronic couplings originating from structural distortions.

Plasmonic nano-shells: atomistic discrete interaction versus classic electrodynamics models

Using the extended discrete interaction model and Mie theory, we investigate the tunability of the optical polarizability of small metallic nano-shells. We show that the spectral positions of symmetric and antisymmetric dipolar plasmon resonances vary with the ratio of particle radius to hole radius in a manner similar to one predicted for uniform metallic nano-shells using a semiclassical approach of two coupled harmonic oscillators. We show that, according to the extended discrete interaction model, the dipolar plasmon resonances are also present for nano-shells in the 2-13 nm size region and show the same functional dependence seen for larger nano-shells. Using previously fitted data from experiment, we can predict the size-dependence of the plasma frequency for nano-shells in the 1-15 nm size region. We find that Mie theory, which utilizes the electron mean free path correction for the permittivity, is not able to reproduce the same functional form of the dipolar modes for the nano-shells of the same sizes.