arXiv subjects

André Severo Pereira Gomes

Publications and source records attributed to André Severo Pereira Gomes.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

A Comparison of Relativistic Coupled Cluster and Equation of Motion Coupled Cluster Quadratic Response Theory

We present the implementation of relativistic coupled cluster quadratic response theory (QR-CC), following our development of relativistic equation of motion coupled cluster quadratic response theory (QR-EOMCC) [X. Yuan et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2023, 19, 9248]. These codes, which can be used in combination with relativistic (2- and 4-component based) as well as non-relativistic Hamiltonians, are capable of treating both static and dynamic perturbations for electric and magnetic operators. We have employed this new implementation to revisit the calculation of static and frequency-dependent first hyperpolarizabilities of hydrogen halides (HX, X=F-Ts) and the Verdet constant of heavy noble gas atoms (Xe, Rn, Og) and of selected hydrogen halides (HF to HI), in order to investigate the differences and similarities of QR-CC and the more approximate QR-EOMCC. Furthermore, we have determined the relative importance of scalar relativistic effects and spin-orbit coupling to these properties, through a comparison of different Hamiltonians, and extended our calculations to superheavy element species (HTs for hyperpolarizabilities, Og for the Verdet constant). Our results show that as one moves towards the bottom of the periodic table, QR-EOMCC can yield rather different results (hyperpolarizabilities) or perform rather similarly (Verdet constant) to QR-CC. These results underscore the importance of further characterizing the performance of QR-EOMCC for heavy element systems.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Core-Excited States of Linear and Bent Uranyl Complexes: Insights from High-Energy Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy and Relativistic Quantum Chemistry

Advanced X-ray spectroscopic techniques are widely recognized as state-of-the-art tools for probing the electronic structure, bonding, and chemical environments of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. In this study, we employ X-ray absorption near-edge structure measurements in high-energy resolution fluorescence detection (HERFD-XANES) mode to investigate the core states arising from excitations out of the U 3d${_{3/2}}$ (M$_4$ edge) levels for molecular complexes in which the uranyl moiety deviates from linearity to varying degrees, and in particular systems containing the UO$_2$Cl$_2$ group such as UO$_2$Cl$_2$.n(H$_2$O) and UO$_2$Cl$_2$(phen)$_2$, which in the latter case exhibits a pronounced O-U-O bending angle. These U M$_4$ edge HERFD-XANES spectra are compared to those of other uranyl complexes reported in the literature. This evaluation is complemented by \textit{ab initio} relativistic quantum chemistry simulations on the [UO$_2$(NO$_3$)$_2$.n(H$_2$O)], UO$_2$Cl$_2$.n(H$_2$O) and UO$_2$Cl$_2$(phen)$_2$ systems, using 2-component Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) with the CAM-B3LYP functional, employing the Tamm-Dancoff approximation (2c-TDA). Our 2c-TDA simulations show modest deviations from the HERFD-XANES data, with peak splittings differing by less than 1 eV from experimental values. These core-excited states were further characterized by Natural Transition Orbital (NTO) analysis. Overall, our results highlight the influence of equatorial ligands on the spectroscopic signatures, particularly pronounced in UO$_2$Cl$_2$(phen)$_2$, where the U 3d$_{3/2}$ $\rightarrow$ 5f$σ_u^*$ satellite transition appears at lower energies compared to the other systems studied.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2024

Core excitations of uranyl in Cs$_{2}$UO$_{2}$Cl$_{4}$ from relativistic embedded damped-response time-dependent density functional theory calculations

X-ray spectroscopies, by their high selectivity and sensitivity to the chemical environment around the atoms probed, provide significant insight into the electronic structure of molecules and materials. Interpreting experimental results requires reliable theoretical models, accounting for environment, relativistic, electron correlation, and orbital relaxation effects in a balanced manner. In this work, we present a protocol for the simulation of core excited spectra with damped response time-dependent density functional theory based on the Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian (4c-DR-TD-DFT), in which environment effects are accounted for through the frozen density embedding (FDE) method. We showcase this approach for the uranium M$_4$-, L$_3$-edge and oxygen K-edge of uranyl tetrachloride (UO$_2$Cl$_4^{2-}$) unit as found in a host Cs$_{2}$UO$_{2}$Cl$_{4}$ crystal. We have found that the 4c-DR-TD-DFT simulations yield excitation spectra that very closely match the experiment for the uranium M$_4$- and oxygen K-edges, with good agreement for the broad experimental spectra for the L$_3$-edge. By decomposing the complex polarizability in terms of its components we have been able to correlate our results with angle-resolved spectra. We have observed that for all edges, but in particular the uranium M$_4$-edge, an embedded model in which the chloride ligands are replaced by an embedding potential, reproduces rather well the spectral profile obtained for UO$_2$Cl$_4^{2-}$. Our results underscore the importance of the equatorial ligands to simulating core spectra at both uranium and oxygen edges.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2024

Is the protactinium(V) mono-oxo bond weaker than what we thought?

The bond distance is the simplest and most obvious indicator of the nature of a given chemical bond. However, for rare chemistry, it may happen that it is not yet firmly established. In this communication, we will show that the formally-triple protactinium(V) mono-oxo bond is predicted longer than what was previously reported in the solid state and in solution, based on robust quantum mechanical calculations, supported by an extensive methodological study. Furthermore, additional calculations are used to demonstrate that the Pa-Ooxo bond of interest is more sensitive to complexation than the supposedly analogous U-Oyl ones, not only in terms of bond distance but also of finer bond descriptors associated with the effective bond multiplicity.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2024

Interoperable Workflows by Exchanging Grid-Based Data between Quantum-Chemical Program Packages

Quantum-chemical subsystem and embedding methods require complex workflows that may involve multiple quantum-chemical program packages. Moreover, such workflows require the exchange of voluminous data that goes beyond simple quantities such as molecular structures and energies. Here, we describe our approach for addressing this interoperability challenge by exchanging electron densities and embedding potentials as grid-based data. We describe the approach that we have implemented to this end in a dedicated code, PyEmbed, currently part of a Python scripting framework. We discuss how it has facilitated the development of quantum-chemical subsystem and embedding methods, and highlight several applications that have been enabled by PyEmbed, including WFT-in-DFT embedding schemes mixing non-relativistic and relativistic electronic structure methods, real-time time-dependent DFT-in-DFT approaches, the density-based many-body expansion, and workflows including real-space data analysis and visualization. Our approach demonstrates in particular the merits of exchanging (complex) grid-based data, and in general the potential of modular software development in quantum chemistry, which hinges upon libraries that facilitate interoperability.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2024

Solvation effects on halides core spectra with Multilevel Real-Time quantum embedding

In this work we introduce a novel subsystem-based electronic structure embedding method that combines the projection-based block-orthogonalized Manby-Miller embedding (BOMME) with the density-based Frozen Density Embedding (FDE) methods. Our approach is effective for systems in which the building blocks interact at varying strengths while still maintaining a lower computational cost compared to a quantum simulation of the entire system. To evaluate the performance of our method, we assess its ability to reproduce the X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) of chloride and fluoride anions in aqueous solutions (based on a 50-water droplet model) via real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) calculations. We employ an ensemble approach to compute XAS for the K- and L-edges, utilizing multiple snapshots of configuration space obtained from classical molecular dynamics simulations with a polarizable force field. Configurational averaging influences both the broadening of spectral features and their intensities, with contributions to the final intensities originating from different geometry configurations. We found that embedding models that are too approximate for halide-water specific interactions, as in the case of FDE, fail to reproduce the experimental spectrum for chloride. Meanwhile, BOMME tends to overestimate intensities, particularly for higher energy features because of finite-size effects. Combining FDE for the second solvation shell and retaining BOMME for the first solvation shell mitigates this effect, resulting in an overall improved agreement within the energy range of the experimental spectrum. Additionally, we compute the transition densities of the relevant transitions, confirming that these transitions occur within the halide systems. Thus, our real-time QM/QM/QM embedding method proves to be a promising approach for modeling XAS of solvated systems.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

Predictive simulations of core electron binding energies of halogenated species adsorbed on ice surfaces from relativistic quantum embedding calculations

We report an investigation of the suitability of quantum embedding for modeling the effects of the environment on the X-ray photoelectron spectra of hydrogen chloride and the chloride ions adsorbed on ice surfaces, as well as of chloride ions in water droplets. In our approach, we combine a density functional theory (DFT) description of the ice surface with that of the halogen species with the recently developed relativistic core-valence separation equation of motion coupled cluster (CVS-EOM-IP-CCSD) via the frozen density embedding formalism (FDE), to determine the K and L$_{1,2,3}$ edges of chlorine. Our calculations, which incorporate temperature effects through snapshots from classical molecular dynamics simulations, are shown to reproduce the experimental trends for L edges of the species on ice surfaces, with respect to changes in temperature as well as the decrease in core binding energies in Cl$^{-}$ with respect to HCl. Finally, we find that in contrast to the L edges, we strongly underestimate the environmental effects on the K edges. We trace this behavior to the inability of the embedding potential obtained with the FDE approach to faithfully reproduce the Kohn-Sham potential of the analogous DFT calculation on the whole (supermolecular) system, and provide an ad hoc correction to the CVS-EOM-IP-CCSD energies, based on ground-state DFT calculations, that yields binding energies with similar accuracy to that observed for the L edges.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Simulating core electron binding energies of halogenated species adsorbed on ice surfaces and in solution with relativistic quantum embedding calculations

In this work we investigate the effects of the environment on the X-ray photoelectron spectra of hydrogen chloride and the chloride ions adsorbed on ice surfaces, as well as of chloride ions in water droplets. In our approach, we combine a density functional theory (DFT) description of the ice surface with that of the halogen species with the recently developed relativistic core-valence separation equation of motion coupled cluster (CVS-EOM-IP-CCSD) via the frozen density embedding formalism (FDE), to determine the K and L$_{1,2,3}$ edges of chlorine. Our calculations, which incorporate temperature effects through snapshots from classical molecular dynamics simulations, are shown to reproduce experimental trends in the change of the core binding energies for Cl$^-$ upon moving from a liquid (water droplets) to an interfacial (ice quasi-liquid layer) environment. Our simulations yield water valence band binding energies in good agreement with experiment, and that vary little between the droplets and the ice surface. For the halide core binding energies there is an overall trend of overestimating experimental values, though good agreement between theory and experiment is found for Cl$^-$ in water droplets and on ice. For HCl on the other hand there are significant discrepancies between experimental and calculated core binding energies when we consider structural models which maintain the H-Cl bond more or less intact. An analysis of models that allow for pre-dissociated and dissociated structures suggests that experimentally observed chemical shifts in binding energies between Cl$^-$ snd HCl would reqire that H$^+$ (in the form of H$_3$O$^+$) and Cl$^-$ are separated by roughly 4-6 A.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Reassessing the potential of TlCl for laser cooling experiments via four-component correlated electronic structure calculations

The TlCl molecule has previously been investigated theoretically and proposed as promising candidates for laser cooling searches [X. Yuan et. al. J. Chem. Phys., 149, 094306, 2018]. From these results, the cooling process, which would proceed by transitions between a\sup{3}Π\sup{+}\sub{0} and X\sup{1}Σ\sup{+}\sub{0} states, had as potential bottleneck the long lifetime (6.04 μs) of the excited state a\sup{3}Π\sup{+}\sub{0} , that would prohibit experimentally control the slowing region. Here, we revisit this system by employing four-component Multireference Configuration Interaction (MRCI) calculations, and investigate the effect of such approaches on the calculated transition moments between a\sup{3}Π\sup{+}\sub{0} and a\sup{3}Π\sub{1} excited states of TlCl as well as TlF, the latter serving as a benchmark between theory and experiment. Wherever possible, MRCI results have been cross-validated by, and turned out to be consistent with, four-component equation of motion coupled-cluster (EOM-CC) and polarization propagator (PP) calculations. We find that the results of TlF are very closed to experiment values, while for TlCl the lifetime of the a3Π+0 state is now estimated to be 175 ns, which is much shorter than previous calculations indicated, thus yielding a different, more favorable cooling dynamics. By solving the rate-equation numerically, we provide evidence that TlCl could have cooling properties similar to those of TlF. Our investigations also point to the potential benefits of enhancing the stimulated radiation in optical cycle to improve cooling efficiency.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2021

Environment effects on X-ray absorption spectra with quantum embedded real-time Time-dependent density functional theory approaches

In this work we implement the real-time time-dependent block-orthogonalized Manby-Miller embedding (rt-BOMME) approach alongside our previously developed real-time frozen density embedding time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT-in-DFT FDE) code, and investigate these methods' performance in reproducing X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) obtained with standard rt-TDDFT simulations, for model systems comprised of solvated fluoride and chloride ions ([X@(H$_2$O)$_8$]$^-$, X = F, Cl). We observe that, for ground-state quantities such as core orbital energies, the BOMME approach shows significantly better agreement with supermolecular results than FDE for the strongly interacting fluoride system, while for chloride the two embedding approaches show more similar results. For the excited states, we see that while FDE (constrained not to have the environment densities relaxed in the ground state) is in good agreement with the reference calculations for the region around the K and L$_1$ edge, and is capable of reproducing the splitting of the $\mathrm{1s^{1} (n+1)p^1}$ final states ($n+1$ being the lowest virtual p orbital of the halides), it by and large fails to properly reproduce the $\mathrm{1s^{1} (n+2)p{^1}}$ states and misses the electronic states arising from excitation to orbitals with important contributions from the solvent. The BOMME results, on the other hand, provide a faithful qualitative representation of the spectra in all energy regions considered, though its intrinsic approximation of employing a lower-accuracy exchange-correlation functional for the environment induces non-negligible shifts in peak positions for the excitations from the halide to the environment. Our results thus confirm that QM/QM embedding approaches are viable alternatives to standard real-time simulations of X-ray absorption spectra of species in complex or confined environments.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2021

Relativistic EOM-CCSD for core-excited and core-ionized state energies based on the 4-component Dirac-Coulomb(-Gaunt) Hamiltonian

We report an implementation of the core-valence separation approach to the 4-component relativistic Hamiltonian based equation-of-motion coupled-cluster with singles and doubles theory (CVS-EOM-CCSD), for the calculation of relativistic core-ionization potentials and core-excitation energies. With this implementation, which is capable of exploiting double group symmetry, we investigate the effects of the different CVS-EOM-CCSD variants, and the use of different Hamiltonians based on the exact 2-component (X2C) framework, on the energies of different core ionized and excited states in halogen (CH$_3$I, HX and X$^-$, X = Cl-At) and xenon containing (Xe, XeF$_2$) species. Our results show that the X2C molecular mean-field approach [Sikkema et al., J. Chem. Phys. 2009, 131, 124116], based on 4-component Dirac-Coulomb mean-field calculations ($^2$DC$^M$) is capable of providing core excitations and ionization energies that are nearly indistinguishable from the reference 4-component energies for up to and including fifth-row elements. We observe that two-electron integrals over the small-component basis sets yield non-negligible contributions to core binding energies for the K and L edges for atoms such as iodine or astatine, and that the approach based on Dirac-Coulomb-Gaunt mean-field calculations ($^2$DCG$^M$) are significantly more accurate than X2C calculations for which screened two-electron spin-orbit interactions are included via atomic mean-field integrals.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2021

Implementation of relativistic coupled cluster theory for massively parallel GPU-accelerated computing architectures

In this paper, we report a reimplementation of the core algorithms of relativistic coupled cluster theory aimed at modern heterogeneous high-performance computational infrastructures. The code is designed for efficient parallel execution on many compute nodes with optional GPU coprocessing, accomplished via the new ExaTENSOR back end. The resulting ExaCorr module is primarily intended for calculations of molecules with one or more heavy elements, as relativistic effects on electronic structure are included from the outset. In the current work, we thereby focus on exact 2-component methods and demonstrate the accuracy and performance of the software. The module can be used as a stand-alone program requiring a set of molecular orbital coefficients as starting point, but is also interfaced to the DIRAC program that can be used to generate these. We therefore also briefly discuss an improvement of the parallel computing aspects of the relativistic self-consistent field algorithm of the DIRAC program.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2020

Environmental effects with Frozen Density Embedding in Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory using localized basis functions

Frozen Density Embedding (FDE) represents a versatile embedding scheme to describe the environmental effect on the electron dynamics in molecular systems. The extension of the general theory of FDE to the real-time time-dependent Kohn-Sham method has previously been presented and implemented in plane-waves and periodic boundary conditions (Pavanello et al. J. Chem. Phys. 142, 154116, 2015). In the current paper, we extend our recent formulation of real-time time-dependent Kohn-Sham method based on localized basis set functions and developed within the Psi4NumPy framework (De Santis et al. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2020, 16, 2410) to the FDE scheme. The latter has been implemented in its "uncoupled" flavor (in which the time evolution is only carried out for the active subsystem, while the environment subsystems remain at their ground state), using and adapting the FDE implementation already available in the PyEmbed module of the scripting framework PyADF. The implementation was facilitated by the fact that both Psi4NumPy and PyADF, being native Python API, provided an ideal framework of development using the Python advantages in terms of code readability and reusability. We demonstrate that the inclusion of the FDE potential does not introduce any numerical instability in time propagation of the density matrix of the active subsystem and in the limit of weak external field, the numerical results for low-lying transition energies are consistent with those obtained using the reference FDE calculations based on the linear response TDDFT. The method is found to give stable numerical results also in the presence of strong external field inducing non-linear effects.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2020

Investigating solvent effects on the magnetic properties of molybdate ions (MoO$_{4}^{2-}$) with relativistic embedding

We investigate the ability of mechanical and electronic density functional theory (DFT)-based embedding approaches to describe the solvent effects on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shielding constants of the $^{95}$Mo nucleus in the molybdate ion in aqueous solution. From the description obtained from calculations with two- and four-component relativistic Hamiltonians, we find that for such systems spin-orbit coupling effects are clearly important for absolute shielding values, but for relative quantities a scalar relativistic treatment provides a sufficient estimation of the solvent effects. We find that the electronic contributions to the solvent effects are relatively modest yet decisive to provide a more accurate magnetic response of the system, when compared to reference supermolecular calculations. We analyze the errors in the embedding calculations by statistical methods as well as through a real-space representation of NMR shielding densities, which are shown to provide a clear picture of the physical processes at play.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2019

A Topological Data Analysis Perspective on Non-Covalent Interactions in Relativistic Calculations

Topological Data Analysis (TDA) is a powerful mathematical theory, largely unexplored in theoretical chemistry. In this work we demonstrate how TDA provides new insights into topological features of electron densities and reduced density gradients, by investigating the effects of relativity on the bonding of the Au4-S-C6H4-S'-Au'4 molecule. Whereas recent analyses of this species carried out with the Quantum Theory of Atoms-In-Molecules [Anderson et al., Chem. Eur. J. 25, 2538, 2019] concluded, from the emergence of new topological features in the electron density, that relativistic effects yielded non-covalent interactions between gold and hydrogen atoms, we show from their low persistence values (which decrease with increased basis set size) these features are not significant. Further analysis of the reduced density gradient confirms no relativity-induced non-covalent interactions in Au4-S-C6H4-S'-Au'4. We argue TDA should be integrated into electronic structure analysis methods, and be considered as a basis for the development of new topology-based approaches.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2019

Accurate Predictions of Volatile Plutonium Thermodynamic Properties

The ability to predict the nature and amounts of plutonium emissions in industrial accidents, such as in solvent fires at PUREX nuclear reprocessing facilities, is a key concern of nuclear safety agencies. In accident conditions and in the presence of oxygen and water vapor, plutonium is expected to form the three major volatile species $\rm{PuO_2}$, $\rm{PuO_3}$, and $\rm{PuO_2(OH)_2}$, for which the thermodynamic data necessary for predictions (enthalpies of formation and heat capacities) presently show either large uncertainties or are lacking. In this work we aim to alleviate such shortcomings by obtaining the aforementioned data via relativistic correlated electronic structure calculations employing a two-step multi-reference approach (MS-CASPT2 with SO-RASSI), which is able to describe the multireference character of the ground-state wave functions of $\rm{PuO_3}$ and $\rm{PuO_2(OH)_2}$. We benchmark this approach by comparing it to relativistic coupled cluster calculations for the ground, ionized, and excited states of $\rm{PuO_2}$. Our results allow us to predict enthalpies of formation $Δ_fH^\ominus(\rm{298.15~K})$ of $\rm{PuO_2}$, $\rm{PuO_3}$ and $\rm{PuO_2(OH)_2}$ to be $\rm{-449.5\pm8.8}$, $\rm{-553.2\pm27.5}$, and $\rm{-1012.6\pm38.1~kJ\;mol^{-1}}$, respectively, which confirm the predominance of plutonium dioxide, but also reveal the existence of plutonium trioxide in the gaseous phase under oxidative conditions, though the partial pressures of $\rm{PuO_3}$ and $\rm{PuO_2(OH)_2}$ are nonetheless always rather low under a wet atmosphere. Our calculations also permit us to reassess prior results for $\rm{PuO_2}$, establishing that the ground state of the $\rm{PuO_2}$ molecule is mainly of $\rm{^{5}Σ_{g}^+}$ character, as well as to confirm the experimental value for the adiabatic ionization energy of $\rm{PuO_2}$.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2016

On the Multi-Reference Nature of Plutonium Oxides: PuO$_2^{2+}$, PuO$_2$, PuO$_3$ and PuO$_2$(OH)$_2$

Actinide-containing complexes present formidable challenges for electronic structure methods due to the large number of degenerate or quasi-degenerate electronic states arising from partially occupied 5f and 6d shells. Conventional multi-reference methods can treat active spaces that are often at the upper limit of what is required for a proper treatment of species with complex electronic structures, leaving no room for verifying their suitability. In this work we address the issue of properly defining the active spaces in such calculations, and introduce a protocol to determine optimal active spaces based on the use of the Density Matrix Renormalization Group algorithm and concepts of quantum information theory. We apply the protocol to elucidate the electronic structure and bonding mechanism of volatile plutonium oxides (PuO$_3$ and PuO$_2$(OH)$_2$), species associated with nuclear safety issues for which little is known about the electronic structure and energetics. We show how, within a scalar relativistic framework, orbital-pair correlations can be used to guide the definition of optimal active spaces which provide an accurate description of static/non-dynamic electron correlation, as well as to analyse the chemical bonding beyond a simple orbital model. From this bonding analysis we are able to show that the addition of oxo- or hydroxo-groups to the plutonium dioxide species considerably changes the pi-bonding mechanism with respect to the bare triatomics, resulting in bent structures with considerable multi-reference character.

physics.chem-ph↗