arXiv subjects

Fabian M. Faulstich

Publications and source records attributed to Fabian M. Faulstich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Reduced scaling implementation of the coupled cluster-based static embedding method, MPCC with density fitting

An improved algorithm to implement our previously proposed static quantum embedding method MPCC (J. Chem. Phys. 161, 164107 (2024)) is presented. It uses the density-fitting (DF) approximation for the electron-repulsion integrals (ERIs) across all layers of the embedding method: the low-level method, the screened interaction, and the high-level method. Additionally, an approximate factorized solution of the Sylvester equation is employed based on the Laplace transformation for the low-level method. To build the screened interaction, we have explored an approximate construction of it based on the distinguishable cluster approximation (DCA) by Kats and Manby (J. Chem. Phys. 141, 061101 (2014)), which amounts to neglecting certain higher-order exchange and ladder diagrams. Combining all these techniques, we have obtained an $\mathcal{O}(N^4)$ algorithm for the low-level method; a non-iterative $N_{\rm frag} \mathcal{O}(N^4)$ algorithm for the screened interaction; and an iterative $\mathcal{O}(N_{\rm frag}^6)$ algorithm for the fragment solver, where $N_{\rm frag}$ is the number of fragment orbitals and $N$ is the total number of orbitals. The resulting low-scaling implementation of the MPCC method is applied to trans polyacetylenes, that is, C$_{2n}$H$_{2n+2}$ molecules for chain lengths $n=1-8$, and the timing and accuracy of the method are compared to the original unfactorized implementation. Moreover, the approximations are further validated by applying the method to the potential energy surface of the \ce{O3} molecule. Finally, we apply the method to the selected molecules in the S22 dataset for which the performance of the MP2 method is known to be poor. The results demonstrate that the DF-based implementation of the MPCC method provides a significant reduction in computational cost while maintaining accuracy comparable to that of the original implementation.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

A robust and efficient solver for coupled cluster equations

The coupled-cluster (CC) equations are most frequently solved via fixed-point (FP) iterations. However, when formulated in a non-canonical gauge, as in local correlation CC, the FP iteration may converge slowly or even diverge. Practical fixes, such as level-shifting and a direct inversion of iterative subspace (DIIS), often improve the convergence, but remain fundamentally heuristic and gauge dependent. {\it Yang et al.}~demonstrated that preconditioned Newton--Krylov (PNK) methods provide substantial wall-time advantage for canonical CC. In this work, we generalize the preconditioner to arbitrary gauges by replacing the energy denominator with a gauge-invariant formulation. Combined with Krylov-based approximate Jacobian inversion, the resulting framework removes the need for level-shifting and yields robust and efficient convergence across various gauges and challenging chemical systems. Our numerical results indicate that PNK consistently outperforms carefully optimized FP-based approaches across a range of molecular systems, positioning the proposed PNK method as a promising new standard for solving the CC equations.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

A quadratic Grassmann manifold optimization problem arising from quantum embedding methods

This article presents a mathematical analysis and numerical strategies for solving the optimization problem of minimizing the quadratic function $J(P) = \text{Tr}(BP)- \frac{1}{2} \text{Tr}(A P A P)$, where $A,B \in \mathbb R^{M \times M}_{\rm sym}$, with $A \succeq 0$, over the Grassmann manifold ${\rm Gr}(m,\mathbb R^M)$. While this problem is non-convex and typically admits non-global local minima - posing challenges for Riemannian optimization and self-consistent field (SCF) algorithms - we identify cases where the global minimizer can be obtained by solving an auxiliary convex problem. When this approach is not directly applicable, the solution to the auxiliary problem still serves as an effective initialization for Riemannian optimization methods and SCF algorithms, significantly improving their performance. This work is motivated by applications in quantum embedding methods, particularly in the construction of bath orbitals, where such optimization problems naturally arise.

math.OC↗

arXiv2026

A CPD-enabled low-scaling environment solver in a coupled cluster based static quantum embedding theory

We incorporate a canonical polyadic decomposition (CPD) based low-level solver as a means to accelerate the environment-level solver for the recently developed MPCC embedding framework. Using CPD, we both factorize the three dominant order-three density-fitting two-electron integral (DF TEI) tensors and develop a novel formulation that reduces the storage complexity of the low-level solver from ${O}(N^3)$ to $O(NR)$, where $R$ is the CPD rank, and the computational scaling of the most time-consuming contractions from ${O}(N^4)$ to ${O}(NR^2)$. We provide benchmarks on representative chemical environments, namely water clusters $\mathrm{(H_2O)_n}$ with $n = 1$ to $6$ and linear alkane chains $\mathrm{C_nH_{2n+2}}$ with $n = 1$ to $6$. For both test sets, using the CPD-compressed DF TEI tensors reproduces the DF reference convergence behavior of the low-level solver, the subsequent high-level step, and the fully self-consistent MPCC iterations, while introducing only small, rank-controlled shifts in absolute energies. At a fixed tolerance in the absolute MPCC energy, the CP ranks required for these tensor approximations increase linearly with system size. Chemically relevant energy differences are likewise preserved, as demonstrated for water-cluster dissociation energies and in a proof-of-concept embedding calculation of methane in a four-water cluster.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

On the Coupled Cluster Doubles Truncation Variety of Four Electrons

We extend recent algebro-geometric results for coupled cluster theory of quantum many-body systems to the truncation varieties arising from the doubles approximation (CCD), focusing on the first genuinely nonlinear doubles regime of four electrons. Since this doubles truncation variety does not coincide with previously studied varieties, we initiate a systematic investigation of its basic algebro-geometric invariants. Combining theoretical and numerical results, we show that for $4$ electrons on $n\leq 12$ orbitals, the CCD truncation variety is a complete intersection of degree $2^{\binom{n-4}{4}}$. Using representation-theoretic arguments, we uncover a Pfaffian structure governing the quadratic relations that define the truncation variety for any $n$, and show that an exact tensor product factorization holds in a distinguished limit of disconnected doubles. We connect these structural results to the computation of the beryllium insertion into molecular hydrogen ({Be$\cdots$H$_2$ $\to$ H--Be--H}), a small but challenging bond formation process where multiconfigurational effects become pronounced.

math.AG↗

arXiv2026

Consistent inclusion of triple substitutions within a coupled cluster based static quantum embedding theory

We incorporate a solver for the fragment problem with accuracy beyond coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) into the previously proposed static embedding framework, MPCC. To this end, we employ a CCSDT solver for the fragment subsystem. For the environment subsystem, we construct a perturbative estimate of the triples amplitudes, explicitly accounting for feedback from all fragment amplitudes. The resulting approach is denoted MPCCSDT(pt). We further introduce a more complete formulation in which feedback from the environment amplitudes to the fragment amplitudes is also included. This scheme involves an iterative treatment of the environment triples amplitudes and is denoted MPCCSDT(it). In addition, we assess the accuracy of the previously proposed low-level method by introducing a modified low-level approach that incorporates a lowest-order treatment of selected long-range effects, including spin fluctuations and charge polarization. All resulting approaches may be viewed as post-CCSD(T) methods. We therefore consider test cases for which CCSD(T) exhibits substantial deviations from CCSDT. Our results demonstrate that inclusion of triples amplitudes at the fragment level alone is insufficient; a perturbative treatment of the environment triples amplitudes is required. For many energy-difference applications, feedback from the environment triples amplitudes to the fragment amplitudes, is not essential, but it does play a role in the very challenging molecules. A very interesting finding from our study is that in some challenging cases, we need an improved (second-order) perturbative method for the SD amplitudes, going beyond the first-order one used in our earlier work.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

Algebraic Geometry for Spin-Adapted Coupled Cluster Theory

We develop and numerically analyze an algebraic-geometric framework for spin-adapted coupled-cluster (CC) theory. Since the electronic Hamiltonian is SU(2)-invariant, physically relevant quantum states lie in the spin singlet sector. We give an explicit description of the SU(2)-invariant (spin singlet) many-body space by identifying it with an Artinian commutative ring, called the excitation ring, whose dimension is governed by a Narayana number. We define spin-adapted truncation varieties via embeddings of graded subspaces of this ring, and we identify the CCS truncation variety with the Veronese square of the Grassmannian. Compared to the spin-generalized formulation, this approach yields a substantial reduction in dimension and degree, with direct computational consequences. In particular, the CC degree of the truncation variety -- governing the number of homotopy paths required to compute all CC solutions -- is reduced by orders of magnitude. We present scaling studies demonstrating asymptotic improvements and we exploit this reduction to compute the full solution landscape of spin-adapted CC equations for water and lithium hydride.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

From Promise to Practice: Benchmarking Quantum Chemistry on Quantum Hardware

We provide a systematic evaluation of the sample-based quantum diagonalization (SQD) method for electronic structure based on the W4-11 thermochemistry dataset, comprising 124 total atomization, 83 bond dissociation, 20 isomerization, 505 heavy-atom transfer, and 13 nucleophilic substitution processes, covering diverse bonding situations and reaction mechanisms. This is the largest study assessing the accuracy and precision of a quantum-hybrid algorithm on a digital quantum device across a variety of molecular systems and chemical reactions, using 16.85 hours on the superconducting quantum processor ibm_rensselaer and 724.22 node hours on the supercomputer AiMOS. To ensure a fair comparison, our study employs commensurate resource allocation for both classical and quantum simulations. Although SQD exhibits large statistical deviations from ground-state reference energies, energy extrapolations yield CCSD-level accuracy. While bond-breaking reactions show a systematic improvement as computational resources increase, nucleophilic substitution or heavy atom transfer reactions do not. The limitations quantified in this manuscript indicate opportunities for improvement in SQD-based algorithms. This work provides a benchmark and community resource for exploring new quantum algorithms and devices, supported by an online benchmark challenge and an open-source Python library for direct comparison.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

A static quantum embedding scheme based on coupled cluster theory

We develop a static quantum embedding scheme that utilizes different levels of approximations to coupled cluster (CC) theory for an active fragment region and its environment. To reduce the computational cost, we solve the local fragment problem using a high-level CC method and address the environment problem with a lower-level Møller-Plesset (MP) perturbative method. This embedding approach inherits many conceptual developments from the hybrid MP2 and CC works by Nooijen and Sherrill (J. Chem. Phys. 111, 10815 (1999), J. Chem. Phys. 122, 234110 (2005)). We go beyond those works here by primarily targeting a specific localized fragment of a molecule and also introducing an alternative mechanism to relax the environment within this framework. We will call this approach MP-CC. We demonstrate the effectiveness of MP-CC on several potential energy curves, and a set of thermochemical reaction energies, using CC with singles and doubles as the fragment solver, and MP2-like treatments of the environment. The results are substantially improved by the inclusion of orbital relaxation in the environment. Using localized bonds as the active fragment, we also report results for \ce{N=N} bond breaking in azomethane and for the central \ce{C-C} bond torsion in butadiene. We find that when the fragment Hilbert space size remains fixed (e.g., when determined by an intrinsic atomic orbital approach), the method achieves comparable accuracy with both a small and a large basis set. Additionally, our results indicate that increasing the fragment Hilbert space size systematically enhances the accuracy of observables, approaching the precision of the full CC solver.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2024

Exploring Ground and Excited States via Single Reference Coupled-Cluster Theory and Algebraic Geometry

The exploration of the root structure of coupled cluster equations holds both foundational and practical significance for computational quantum chemistry. This study provides insight into the intricate root structures of these non-linear equations at both the CCD and CCSD level of theory. We utilize computational techniques from algebraic geometry, specifically the monodromy and parametric homotopy continuation methods, to calculate the full solution set. We compare the computed CC roots against various established theoretical upper bounds, shedding light on the accuracy and efficiency of these bounds. We hereby focus on the dissociation processes of four-electron systems such as (H$_2$)$_2$ in both D$_{2{\rm h}}$ and D$_{\infty {\rm h}}$ configurations, H$_4$ symmetrically distorted on a circle, and lithium hydride. We moreover investigate the ability of single-reference coupled cluster solutions to approximate excited state energies. We find that multiple CC roots describe energies of excited states with high accuracy. Our investigations reveal that for systems like lithium hydride, CC not only provides high-accuracy approximations to several excited state energies but also to the states themselves.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2024

Coupled cluster theory: Towards an algebraic geometry formulation

Coupled cluster theory produced arguably the most widely used high-accuracy computational quantum chemistry methods. Despite the approach's overall great computational success, its mathematical understanding is so far limited to results within the realm of functional analysis. The coupled cluster amplitudes, which are the targeted objects in coupled cluster theory, correspond to solutions to the coupled cluster equations, which is a system of polynomial equations of at most degree four. The high dimensionality of the electronic Schrödinger equation and the non-linearity of the coupled cluster ansatz have so far stalled a formal analysis of this polynomial system. In this article, we present algebraic investigations that shed light on the coupled cluster equations and the root structure of this ansatz. This is of importance for the a posteriori evaluation of coupled cluster calculations. To that end, we investigate the root structure by means of Newton polytopes. We derive a general v-description, which is subsequently turned into an h-description for explicit examples. This perspective reveals an apparent connection between Pauli's exclusion principle and the geometrical structure of the Newton polytopes. We also propose an alternative characterization of the coupled cluster equations projected onto singles and doubles as cubic polynomials on an algebraic variety with certain sparsity patterns. Moreover, we provide numerical simulations of two computationally tractable systems, namely, the two electrons in four spin-orbitals system and the three electrons in six spin-orbitals system. These simulations provide novel insight into the root structure of the coupled cluster solutions when the coupled cluster ansatz is truncated.

math.AG↗

arXiv2024

Augmented Lagrangian method for coupled-cluster

We propose to improve the convergence properties of the single-reference coupled cluster (CC) method through an augmented Lagrangian formalism. The conventional CC method changes a linear high-dimensional eigenvalue problem with exponential size into a problem of determining the roots of a nonlinear system of equations that has a manageable size. However, current numerical procedures for solving this system of equations to get the lowest eigenvalue suffer from two practical issues: First, solving the CC equations may not converge, and second, when converging, they may converge to other -- potentially unphysical -- states, which are stationary points of the CC energy expression. We show that both issues can be dealt with when a suitably defined energy is minimized in addition to solving the original CC equations. We further propose an augmented Lagrangian method for coupled cluster (alm-CC) to solve the resulting constrained optimization problem. We numerically investigate the proposed augmented Lagrangian formulation showing that the convergence towards the ground state is significantly more stable and that the optimization procedure is less susceptible to local minima. Furthermore, the computational cost of alm-CC is comparable to the conventional CC method.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2024

Recent mathematical advances in coupled cluster theory

This article presents an in-depth educational overview of the latest mathematical developments in coupled cluster (CC) theory, beginning with Schneider's seminal work from 2009 that introduced the first local analysis of CC theory. We offer a tutorial review of second quantization and the CC ansatz, laying the groundwork for understanding the mathematical basis of the theory. This is followed by a detailed exploration of the most recent mathematical advancements in CC theory.Our review starts with an in-depth look at the local analysis pioneered by Schneider which has since been applied to analyze various CC methods. We then move on to discuss the graph-based framework for CC methods developed by Csirik and Laestadius. This framework provides a comprehensive platform for comparing different CC methods, including multireference approaches. Next, we delve into the latest numerical analysis results analyzing the single reference CC method developed by Hassan, Maday, and Wang. This very general approach is based on the invertibility of the CC function's Fréchet derivative. We conclude the article with a discussion on the recent incorporation of algebraic geometry into CC theory, highlighting how this novel and fundamentally different mathematical perspective has furthered our understanding and provides exciting pathways to new computational approaches.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

Some mathematical insights on Density Matrix Embedding Theory

This article provides the first mathematical analysis of the Density Matrix Embedding Theory (DMET) method. We prove that, under certain assumptions, (i) the exact ground-state density matrix is a fixed-point of the DMET map for non-interacting systems, (ii) there exists a unique physical solution in the weakly-interacting regime, and (iii) DMET is exact at first order in the coupling parameter. We provide numerical simulations to support our results and comment on the physical meaning of the assumptions under which they hold true. We show that the violation of these assumptions may yield multiple solutions of the DMET equations. We moreover introduce and discuss a specific N-representability problem inherent to DMET.

math-ph↗

arXiv2023

Homotopy continuation methods for coupled-cluster theory in quantum chemistry

Homotopy methods have proven to be a powerful tool for understanding the multitude of solutions provided by the coupled-cluster polynomial equations. This endeavor has been pioneered by quantum chemists that have undertaken both elaborate numerical as well as mathematical investigations. Recently, from the perspective of applied mathematics, new interest in these approaches has emerged using both topological degree theory and algebraically oriented tools. This article provides an overview of describing the latter development.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

The $S$-diagnostic -- an a posteriori error assessment for single-reference coupled-cluster methods

We propose a novel a posteriori error assessment for the single-reference coupled-cluster (SRCC) method called the $S$-diagnostic. We provide a derivation of the $S$-diagnostic that is rooted in the mathematical analysis of different SRCC variants. We numerically scrutinized the $S$-diagnostic, testing its performance for (1) geometry optimizations, (2) electronic correlation simulations of systems with varying numerical difficulty, and (3) the square-planar copper complexes [CuCl$_4$]$^{2-}$, [Cu(NH$_3$)$_4$]$^{2+}$, and [Cu(H$_2$O)$_4$]$^{2+}$. Throughout the numerical investigations, the $S$-diagnostic is compared to other SRCC diagnostic procedures, that is, the $T_1$, $D_1$, and $D_2$ diagnostics as well as different indices of multi-determinantal and multi-reference character in coupled-cluster theory. Our numerical investigations show that the $S$-diagnostic outperforms the $T_1$, $D_1$, and $D_2$ diagnostics and is comparable to the indices of multi-determinantal and multi-reference character in coupled-cluster theory in their individual fields of applicability. The experiments investigating the performance of the $S$-diagnostic for geometry optimizations using SRCC reveal that the $S$-diagnostic correlates well with different error measures at a high level of statistical relevance. The experiments investigating the performance of the $S$-diagnostic for electronic correlation simulations show that the $S$-diagnostic correctly predicts strong multi-reference regimes. The $S$-diagnostic moreover correctly detects the successful SRCC computations for [CuCl$_4$]$^{2-}$, [Cu(NH$_3$)$_4$]$^{2+}$, and [Cu(H$_2$O)$_4$]$^{2+}$, which have been known to be misdiagnosed by $T_1$ and $D_1$ diagnostics in the past. This shows that the $S$-diagnostic is a promising candidate for an a posteriori diagnostic for SRCC calculations.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Interacting models for twisted bilayer graphene: a quantum chemistry approach

The nature of correlated states in twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) at the magic angle has received intense attention in recent years. We present a numerical study of an interacting Bistritzer-MacDonald (IBM) model of TBG using a suite of methods in quantum chemistry, including Hartree-Fock, coupled cluster singles, doubles (CCSD), and perturbative triples (CCSD(T)), as well as a quantum chemistry formulation of the density matrix renormalization group method (DMRG). Our treatment of TBG is agnostic to gauge choices, and hence we present a new gauge-invariant formulation to detect the spontaneous symmetry breaking in interacting models. To benchmark our approach, we focus on a simplified spinless, valleyless IBM model. At integer filling ($ν=0$), all numerical methods agree in terms of energy and $C_{2z} \mathcal{T}$ symmetry breaking. Additionally, as part of our benchmarking, we explore the impact of different schemes for removing ``double-counting'' in the IBM model. Our results at integer filling suggest that cross-validation of different IBM models may be needed for future studies of the TBG system. After benchmarking our approach at integer filling, we perform the first systematic study of the IBM model near integer filling (for $|ν|< 0.2$). In this regime, we find that the ground state can be in a metallic and $C_{2z} \mathcal{T}$ symmetry breaking phase. The ground state appears to have low entropy, and therefore can be relatively well approximated by a single Slater determinant. Furthermore, we observe many low entropy states with energies very close to the ground state energy in the near integer filling regime.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

On the pure state $v$-representability of density matrix embedding theory

Density matrix embedding theory (DMET) formally requires the matching of density matrix blocks obtained from high-level and low-level theories, but this is sometimes not achievable in practical calculations. In such a case, the global band gap of the low-level theory vanishes, and this can require additional numerical considerations. We find that both the violation of the exact matching condition and the vanishing low-level gap are related to the assumption that the high-level density matrix blocks are non-interacting pure-state $v$-representable (NI-PS-V), which assumes that the low-level density matrix is constructed following the Aufbau principle. In order to relax the NI-PS-V condition, we develop an augmented Lagrangian method to match the density matrix blocks without referring to the Aufbau principle. Numerical results for 2D Hubbard and hydrogen model systems indicate that in some challenging scenarios, the relaxation of the Aufbau principle directly leads to exact matching of the density matrix blocks, which also yields improved accuracy.

physics.comp-ph↗