Electron localization–delocalization transitions in dissociation of the C4− anion: A large-Danalysis

The chemical bond as an emergent phenomenon

We first argue that the covalent bond and the various closed-shell interactions can be thought of as symmetry broken versions of one and the same interaction, viz., the multi-center bond. We use specially chosen molecular units to show that the symmetry breaking is controlled by density and electronegativity variation. We show that the bond order changes with bond deformation but in a step-like fashion, regions of near constancy separated by electronic localization transitions. These will often cause displacive transitions as well so that the bond strength, order, and length are established self-consistently. We further argue on the inherent relation of the covalent, closed-shell, and multi-center interactions with ionic and metallic bonding. All of these interactions can be viewed as distinct sectors on a phase diagram with density and electronegativity variation as control variables; the ionic and covalent/secondary sectors are associated with on-site and bond-order charge density wave, respectively, the metallic sector with an electronic fluid. While displaying a contiguity at low densities, the metallic and ionic interactions represent distinct phases separated by discontinuous transitions at sufficiently high densities. Multi-center interactions emerge as a hybrid of the metallic and ionic bond that results from spatial coexistence of delocalized and localized electrons. In the present description, the issue of the stability of a compound is that of the mutual miscibility of electronic fluids with distinct degrees of electron localization, supra-atomic ordering in complex inorganic compounds coming about naturally. The notions of electronic localization advanced hereby suggest a high throughput, automated procedure for screening candidate compounds and structures with regard to stability, without the need for computationally costly geometric optimization.

Interdimensional degeneracies in van der Waals clusters and quantum Monte Carlo computation of rovibrational states

Quantum Monte Carlo estimates of the spectrum of rotationally invariant states of noble gas clusters suggest interdimensional degeneracy in N-1 and N+1 spatial dimensions. We derive this property by mapping the Schrodinger eigenvalue problem onto an eigenvalue equation in which D appears as a continuous variable. We discuss implications for quantum Monte Carlo and dimensional scaling methods.

Finite size scaling for the atomic Shannon-information entropy

We have developed the finite size scaling method to treat the criticality of Shannon-information entropy for any given quantum Hamiltonian. This approach gives very accurate results for the critical parameters by using a systematic expansion in a finite basis set. To illustrate this approach we present a study to estimate the critical exponents of the Shannon-information entropy S approximately (lambda-lambda(c))(alpha(S) ), the electronic energy E approximately (lambda-lambda(c))(alpha(E) ), and the correlation length xi approximately mid R:lambda-lambda(c)mid R:(-nu) for atoms with the variable lambda=1/Z, which is the inverse of the nuclear charge Z. This was realized by approximating the multielectron atomic Hamiltonian with a one-electron model Hamiltonian. This model is very accurate for describing the electronic structure of the atoms near their critical points. For several atoms in their ground electronic states, we have found that the critical exponents (alpha(E),nu,alpha(S)) for He (Z=2), C (Z=6), N (Z=7), F (Z=9), and Ne (Z=10), respectively, are (1, 0, 0). At the critical points lambda(c)=1/Z(c), the bound state energies become absorbed or degenerate with continuum states and the entropies reach their maximum values, indicating a maximal delocalization of the electronic wave function.