Quantum Monte Carlo calculation of the binding energy of the beryllium dimer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States)
The accurate calculation of the binding energy of the beryllium dimer is a challenging theoretical problem. In this study, the binding energy of Be{sub 2} is calculated using the diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) method, using single Slater determinant and multiconfigurational trial functions. DMC calculations using single-determinant trial wave functions of orbitals obtained from density functional theory calculations overestimate the binding energy, while DMC calculations using Hartree-Fock or CAS(4,8), complete active space trial functions significantly underestimate the binding energy. In order to obtain an accurate value of the binding energy of Be{sub 2} from DMC calculations, it is necessary to employ trial functions that include excitations outside the valence space. Our best estimate DMC result for the binding energy of Be{sub 2}, obtained by using configuration interaction trial functions and extrapolating in the threshold for the configurations retained in the trial function, is 908 cm{sup −1}, only slightly below the 935 cm{sup −1} value derived from experiment.
- OSTI ID:
- 22493567
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 143, Issue 8; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-9606
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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