Variational Formulation of Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory

TL;DR

This paper introduces a variational approach to Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT), providing a theoretical foundation similar to ground-state DFT, and supports the justification of the time-dependent Kohn-Sham method.

Contribution

It develops a variational formulation for TDDFT analogous to ground-state DFT, enabling new theoretical insights and applications.

Findings

Provides a variational framework for TDDFT

Justifies the time-dependent Kohn-Sham method

Suggests new applications for TDDFT

Abstract

We present a variational formulation of Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory similar to the constrained-search variational formulation of ground-state density-function theory. The formulation is applied to justify the time-dependent Kohn-Sham method. Other promising applications to advance TDDFT are suggested.