Multicomponent density functional theory study of the interplay between electron-electron and electron-proton correlation

Andrew Sirjoosingh, Michael V. Pak, Sharon Hammes-Schiffer

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35 Scopus citations

Abstract

The interplay between electron-electron and electron-proton correlation is investigated within the framework of the nuclear-electronic orbital density functional theory (NEO-DFT) approach, which treats electrons and select protons quantum mechanically on the same level. Recently two electron-proton correlation functionals were developed from the electron-proton pair densities obtained from explicitly correlated wavefunctions. In these previous derivations, the kinetic energy contribution arising from electron-proton correlation was neglected. In this paper, an electron-proton correlation functional that includes this kinetic energy contribution is derived using the adiabatic connection formula in multicomponent DFT. The performance of the NEO-DFT approach using all three electron-proton correlation functionals in conjunction with three well-established electronic exchange-correlation functionals is assessed. NEO-DFT calculations with these electron-proton correlation functionals capture the increase in the hydrogen vibrational stretching frequencies arising from the inclusion of electron-electron correlation in model systems. Electron-proton and electron-electron correlation are found to be uncoupled and predominantly additive effects to the total energy for the model systems studied. Thus, electron-proton correlation functionals and electronic exchange-correlation functionals can be developed independently and subsequently combined together without re-parameterization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number174114
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume136
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - May 7 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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