Active space approaches combining coupled-cluster and perturbation theory for ground states and excited states

Data-Efficient Machine Learning Potentials from Transfer Learning of Periodic Correlated Electronic Structure Methods: Liquid Water at AFQMC, CCSD, and CCSD(T) Accuracy

Obtaining the atomistic structure and dynamics of disordered condensed-phase systems from first-principles remains one of the forefront challenges of chemical theory. Here we exploit recent advances in periodic electronic structure and provide a data-efficient approach to obtain machine-learned condensed-phase potential energy surfaces using AFQMC, CCSD, and CCSD(T) from a very small number (≤200) of energies by leveraging a transfer learning scheme starting from lower-tier electronic structure methods. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach for liquid water by performing both classical and path integral molecular dynamics simulations on these machine-learned potential energy surfaces. By doing this, we uncover the interplay of dynamical electron correlation and nuclear quantum effects across the entire liquid range of water while providing a general strategy for efficiently utilizing periodic correlated electronic structure methods to explore disordered condensed-phase systems.

Periodic Coupled-Cluster Green's Function for Photoemission Spectra of Realistic Solids

We present an efficient implementation of the coupled-cluster Green's function (CCGF) method for simulating photoemission spectra of periodic systems. We formulate the periodic CCGF approach with Brillouin zone sampling in the Gaussian basis at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) level. To enable CCGF calculations of realistic solids, we propose an active-space self-energy correction scheme by combining CCGF with the cheaper many-body perturbation theory (GW) and implement the model order reduction (MOR) frequency interpolation technique. We find that the active-space self-energy correction and MOR techniques significantly reduce the computational cost of CCGF while maintaining the high accuracy. We apply the developed CCGF approaches to compute spectral properties and band structure of silicon (Si) and zinc oxide (ZnO) crystals using triple-ζ Gaussian basis sets and medium-size k-point sampling and find good agreement with experimental measurements.

Ground-State Properties of Metallic Solids from Ab Initio Coupled-Cluster Theory

Metallic solids are an enormously important class of materials, but they are a challenging target for accurate wave function-based electronic structure theories and have not been studied in great detail by such methods. Here, we use coupled-cluster theory with single and double excitations (CCSD) to study the structure of solid lithium and aluminum using optimized Gaussian basis sets. We calculate the equilibrium lattice constant, bulk modulus, and cohesive energy and compare them to experimental values, finding accuracy comparable to common density functionals. Because the quantum chemical "gold standard" CCSD(T) (CCSD with perturbative triple excitations) is inapplicable to metals in the thermodynamic limit, we test two approximate improvements to CCSD, which are found to improve the results.

Integral-Direct Hartree-Fock and Møller-Plesset Perturbation Theory for Periodic Systems with Density Fitting: Application to the Benzene Crystal

We present an algorithm and implementation of integral-direct, density-fitted Hartree-Fock (HF) and second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) for periodic systems. The new code eliminates the formerly prohibitive storage requirements and allows us to study systems 1 order of magnitude larger than before at the periodic MP2 level. We demonstrate the significance of the development by studying the benzene crystal in both the thermodynamic limit and the complete basis set limit, for which we predict an MP2 cohesive energy of -72.8 kJ/mol, which is about 10-15 kJ/mol larger in magnitude than all previously reported MP2 calculations. Compared to the best theoretical estimate from literature, several modified MP2 models approach chemical accuracy in the predicted cohesive energy of the benzene crystal and hence may be promising cost-effective choices for future applications on molecular crystals.

Cluster perturbation theory. VIII. First order properties for a coupled cluster state

We have extended cluster perturbation (CP) theory to comprehend the calculation of first order properties (FOPs). We have determined CP FOP series where FOPs are determined as a first energy derivative and also where the FOPs are determined as a generalized expectation value of the external perturbation operator over the coupled cluster state and its biorthonormal multiplier state. For S(D) orbital excitation spaces, we find that the CP series for FOPs that are determined as a first derivative in general in second order have errors of a few per cent in the singles and doubles correlation contribution relative to the targeted coupled cluster (CC) results. For a SD(T) orbital excitation space, we find that the CP series for FOPs determined as a generalized expectation value in second order have errors of about ten percent in the triples correlation contribution relative to the targeted CC results. These second order models therefore constitute viable alternatives for determining high quality FOPs.

Correlation-Consistent Gaussian Basis Sets for Solids Made Simple

The rapidly growing interest in simulating condensed-phase materials using quantum chemistry methods calls for a library of high-quality Gaussian basis sets suitable for periodic calculations. Unfortunately, most standard Gaussian basis sets commonly used in molecular simulation show significant linear dependencies when used in close-packed solids, leading to severe numerical issues that hamper the convergence to the complete basis set (CBS) limit, especially in correlated calculations. In this work, we revisit Dunning's strategy for construction of correlation-consistent basis sets and examine the relationship between accuracy and numerical stability in periodic settings. We find that limiting the number of primitive functions avoids the appearance of problematic small exponents while still providing smooth convergence to the CBS limit. As an example, we generate double-, triple-, and quadruple-ζ correlation-consistent Gaussian basis sets for periodic calculations with Goedecker-Teter-Hutter (GTH) pseudopotentials. Our basis sets cover the main-group elements from the first three rows of the periodic table. Especially for atoms on the left side of the periodic table, our basis sets are less diffuse than those used in molecular calculations. We verify the fast and reliable convergence to the CBS limit in both Hartree-Fock and post-Hartree-Fock (MP2) calculations, using a diverse test set of 19 semiconductors and insulators.

Dynamical correlation energy of metals in large basis sets from downfolding and composite approaches

Coupled-cluster theory with single and double excitations (CCSD) is a promising ab initio method for the electronic structure of three-dimensional metals, for which second-order perturbation theory (MP2) diverges in the thermodynamic limit. However, due to the high cost and poor convergence of CCSD with respect to basis size, applying CCSD to periodic systems often leads to large basis set errors. In a common "composite" method, MP2 is used to recover the missing dynamical correlation energy through a focal-point correction, but the inadequacy of finite-order perturbation theory for metals raises questions about this approach. Here, we describe how high-energy excitations treated by MP2 can be "downfolded" into a low-energy active space to be treated by CCSD. Comparing how the composite and downfolding approaches perform for the uniform electron gas, we find that the latter converges more quickly with respect to the basis set size. Nonetheless, the composite approach is surprisingly accurate because it removes the problematic MP2 treatment of double excitations near the Fermi surface. Using this method to estimate the CCSD correlation energy in the combined complete basis set and thermodynamic limits, we find that CCSD recovers 85%-90% of the exact correlation energy at r_s = 4. We also test the composite approach with the direct random-phase approximation used in place of MP2, yielding a method that is typically (but not always) more cost effective due to the smaller number of orbitals that need to be included in the more expensive CCSD calculation.

Full-frequency GW without frequency

Efficient computer implementations of the GW approximation must approximate a numerically challenging frequency integral; the integral can be performed analytically, but doing so leads to an expensive implementation whose computational cost scales as O(N6), where N is the size of the system. Here, we introduce a new formulation of the full-frequency GW approximation by exactly recasting it as an eigenvalue problem in an expanded space. This new formulation (1) avoids the use of time or frequency grids, (2) naturally obviates the need for the common "diagonal" approximation, (3) enables common iterative eigensolvers that reduce the canonical scaling to O(N5), and (4) enables a density-fitted implementation that reduces the scaling to O(N4). We numerically verify these scaling behaviors and test a variety of approximations that are motivated by this new formulation. The new formulation is found to be competitive with conventional O(N4) methods based on analytic continuation or contour deformation. In this new formulation, the relation of the GW approximation to configuration interaction, coupled-cluster theory, and the algebraic diagrammatic construction is made especially apparent, providing a new direction for improvements to the GW approximation.