Projected coupled cluster theory: Optimization of cluster amplitudes in the presence of symmetry projection.

Methods which aim at universal applicability must be able to describe both weak and strong electronic correlation with equal facility. Such methods are in short supply. The combination of symmetry projection for strong correlation and coupled cluster theory for weak correlation offers tantalizing promise to account for both on an equal footing. In order to do so, however, the coupled cluster portion of the wave function must be optimized in the presence of the symmetry projection. This paper discusses how this may be accomplished, and shows the importance of doing so for both the Hubbard model Hamiltonian and the molecular Hamiltonian, all with a computational scaling comparable to that of traditional coupled cluster theory.

Tensor-structured coupled cluster theory.

We derive and implement a new way of solving coupled cluster equations with lower computational scaling. Our method is based on the decomposition of both amplitudes and two electron integrals, using a combination of tensor hypercontraction and canonical polyadic decomposition. While the original theory scales as O(N6) with respect to the number of basis functions, we demonstrate numerically that we achieve sub-millihartree difference from the original theory with O(N4) scaling. This is accomplished by solving directly for the factors that decompose the cluster operator. The proposed scheme is quite general and can be easily extended to other many-body methods.

Projected coupled cluster theory.

Coupled cluster theory is the method of choice for weakly correlated systems. But in the strongly correlated regime, it faces a symmetry dilemma, where it either completely fails to describe the system or has to artificially break certain symmetries. On the other hand, projected Hartree-Fock theory captures the essential physics of many kinds of strong correlations via symmetry breaking and restoration. In this work, we combine and try to retain the merits of these two methods by applying symmetry projection to broken symmetry coupled cluster wave functions. The non-orthogonal nature of states resulting from the application of symmetry projection operators furnishes particle-hole excitations to all orders, thus creating an obstacle for the exact evaluation of overlaps. Here we provide a solution via a disentanglement framework theory that can be approximated rigorously and systematically. Results of projected coupled cluster theory are presented for molecules and the Hubbard model, showing that spin projection significantly improves unrestricted coupled cluster theory while restoring good quantum numbers. The energy of projected coupled cluster theory reduces to the unprojected one in the thermodynamic limit, albeit at a much slower rate than projected Hartree-Fock.

Spin polynomial similarity transformation for repulsive Hamiltonians: interpolating between coupled cluster and spin-projected unrestricted Hartree-Fock.

Our overarching goal is to be able to describe both weak and strong correlation with a single, computationally affordable method without sacrificing important qualities of the wavefunction, e.g. symmetries of the Hamiltonian. We know that coupled cluster theory with low-order excitations is excellent at describing weakly-correlated systems near equilibrium, but breaks down as systems become more strongly correlated. Projected Hartree-Fock on the other hand is inherently capable of describing multireference character, but misses weak correlation. We are thus exploring how best to combine coupled cluster and projected Hartree-Fock in our search for a computationally feasible method that is applicable across a wide range of correlation strengths. In this manuscript, we adapt our earlier work on the pairing Hamiltonian to repulsive Hamiltonians, resulting in the spin polynomial similarity transformation (SpinPoST) interpolation. SpinPoST parameterizes the wavefunction in order to interpolate between the coupled cluster and spin-projected unrestricted Hartree-Fock ansätze self consistently, and is a spin-symmetry adapted model which involves only single and double excitations. We employ a unique approach of optimizing the wavefunction by minimizing the effect of connected quadruple excitations, resulting in a method which is spin-symmetry adapted and is comparable energetically to coupled cluster with singles and doubles for weak correlation and spin-projected Hartree-Fock for strong correlation.

Merging symmetry projection methods with coupled cluster theory: Lessons from the Lipkin model Hamiltonian.

Coupled cluster and symmetry projected Hartree-Fock are two central paradigms in electronic structure theory. However, they are very different. Single reference coupled cluster is highly successful for treating weakly correlated systems but fails under strong correlation unless one sacrifices good quantum numbers and works with broken-symmetry wave functions, which is unphysical for finite systems. Symmetry projection is effective for the treatment of strong correlation at the mean-field level through multireference non-orthogonal configuration interaction wavefunctions, but unlike coupled cluster, it is neither size extensive nor ideal for treating dynamic correlation. We here examine different scenarios for merging these two dissimilar theories. We carry out this exercise over the integrable Lipkin model Hamiltonian, which despite its simplicity, encompasses non-trivial physics for degenerate systems and can be solved via diagonalization for a very large number of particles. We show how symmetry projection and coupled cluster doubles individually fail in different correlation limits, whereas models that merge these two theories are highly successful over the entire phase diagram. Despite the simplicity of the Lipkin Hamiltonian, the lessons learned in this work will be useful for building an ab initio symmetry projected coupled cluster theory that we expect to be accurate in the weakly and strongly correlated limits, as well as the recoupling regime.

A density functional theory study of ethylene hydrogenation on MgO- and γ-Al2O3-supported carbon-containing Ir4 clusters.

Density functional theory was used to investigate the reaction mechanisms of ethylene hydrogenation on MgO(100)- and γ-Al2O3(110)-supported carbon-containing Ir4 clusters. The cluster supported on γ-Al2O3(110) is more active than that on MgO(100), which is consistent with experimental observations. The present calculations show that the binding energies of reactants on the carbon-containing Ir4 cluster are weaker on the γ-Al2O3 supported catalysts compared to the MgO supported Ir cluster. This relatively weak adsorption energy of ethylene on the γ-Al2O3 surface means that ethylene desorption is easier, hence a higher catalytic activity is achieved. To gain further understanding, the energy decomposition method and micro-kinetic analysis are also introduced.