Wavefunction-based method for excited-state electron correlations in periodic systems - application to polymers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a wavefunction-based method for accurately calculating excited-state electron correlations in periodic systems like polymers, combining quantum-chemical techniques with localized orbitals and effective Hamiltonians.

Contribution

It develops a systematic approach that applies quantum-chemical correlation calculations to extended systems, including excited states and excitons, using localized orbitals and cluster-based corrections.

Findings

Correlation effects significantly shift band positions.

Bands become flatter after including correlation.

Method successfully applied to trans-polyacetylene.

Abstract

A systematic method for determining correlated wavefunctions of extended systems in the ground and excited states is presented. It allows to fully exploit the power of quantum-chemical programs designed for correlation calculations of finite molecules. Using localized Hartree-Fock (HF) orbitals (both occupied and virtual ones), an effective Hamiltonian which can easily be transferred from finite to infinite systems is built up. Correlation corrections to the matrix elements of the effective Hamiltonian are derived from clusters. To treat correlation effects, multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations with singly and doubly excited configurations (SD) are performed. This way one is able to generate both valence and conduction bands where all correlation effects in the excited states as well as in the ground state of the system are taken into account. An appropriate size-extensivity correction to the MRCI(SD) correlation energies is developed which takes into account the open-shell character of the excited states. This approach is applicable to a wide range of polymers and crystals. In the present work trans-polyacetylene is chosen as a test system. The corresponding band structure is obtained with the correlation of all electrons in the system being included on a high level of sophistication. The account of correlation effects leads to substantial shifts of the "center-of-mass" positions of the bands (valence bands are shifted upwards and conduction bands downwards) and a flattening of all bands compared to the corresponding HF band structure. Further an extention of the above approach to excitons (optical excitations) in crystals is developed which allows to use standard quantum-chemical methods to describe the electron-hole pairs and to finally obtain excitonic bands.