arXiv subjects

Johannes Tölle

Publications and source records attributed to Johannes Tölle.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Bogoliubov self-consistent $GW$ and second-order Green's function methods for attractive fermionic interactions

Describing fermionic systems with attractive interactions, such as superconductors and atomic nuclei, beyond the mean-field level remains a central challenge. In this work, we investigate the performance of Bogoliubov fully self-consistent $GW$ (Bog.~sc$GW$) and second-order Green's function (Bog.~scGF2) methods, implemented within a unified imaginary-time and imaginary-frequency framework. Using the attractive Hubbard model as a benchmark against full configuration interaction (FCI), we find that Bog. scGF2 provides a more accurate description than Bog.~sc$GW$. In particular, Bog.~sc$GW$ systematically overestimates the correlation energy, with errors increasing rapidly as the attractive interaction strength grows. These results highlight the importance of exchange contributions in strongly correlated fermionic systems, even when exchange effects are included only at low order in perturbation theory.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

Benchmarking Least-Squares Tensor Hypercontraction Techniques for Molecular Systems

Finding a low-rank approximation for the two-electron integral (ERI) tensor is a crucial step towards reducing the computational cost of many-body electronic structure methods. In recent years, a range of new tensor factorization techniques, like the so-called tensor-hypercontraction (THC) approach, have been developed to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, a systematic comparison of accuracy and efficiency of different THC construction algorithms is missing. In this work, we address this gap by benchmarking these techniques across a wide range of molecular systems. In addition to offering useful insights into the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques, we provide reference implementations in the newly developed open-source library, PyTHC.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

From Full Dynamic to Pure Static: A Family of $GW$-Based Approximations

We introduce a systematic hierarchy of one-body Green's function methods derived from the $GW$ approximation, constructed by progressively reducing the dynamical content of the self-energy. Starting from the fully dynamical Dyson formulation, we generate a family of approximations that interpolates between the standard $GW$ approximation to purely static effective single-particle Hamiltonians. This framework enables a controlled investigation of the role of dynamical effects and particle-hole coupling in the description of ionization potentials. Within this unified formalism, the hole and particle branches can be selectively decoupled through downfolding strategies into reduced one-particle spaces. By benchmarking the different members of this hierarchy on molecular ionization energies, we assess their accuracy, numerical robustness, and algorithmic complexity. We demonstrate that consistently derived partially static schemes can yield reliable quasiparticle energies while significantly simplifying the underlying eigenvalue problem. We further introduce a novel static Hermitian self-energy obtained as the static limit of this hierarchy. Despite its conceptually distinct origin, it produces results remarkably close to those of qs$GW$, thereby providing an alternative static route toward partial self-consistency.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

Connection between $GW$ and Extended Coupled Cluster

Coupled-cluster (CC) theory and Green's function many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) have long evolved as distinct yet complementary frameworks for describing electronic correlation. While CC methods employ exponential wavefunction parametrizations that guarantee size extensivity and systematic improvability, Green's function approaches such as the $GW$ approximation describe quasiparticle and optical excitations through diagrammatic resummations. Recent analyses have established a formal correspondence between these frameworks: the $GW$ approximation is equivalent to an equation-of-motion (EOM) treatment of the direct-ring coupled-cluster doubles (drCCD) method. Within this context, the extended CC (ECC) ansatz offers a unified framework connecting CC and MBPT. This formulation bridges CC-based and Green's function-based methods, providing novel avenues for incorporating vertex corrections within a CC framework that preserves a sum-over-state representation of the self-energy and lead to potentially systematically improvable Green's function approaches.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

An Algebraic-Diagrammatic Construction for Vertex Corrections to the $GW$ Self-Energy

The $G3W2$ approximation -- the second-order self-energy beyond $GW$ -- is known to violate some fundamental analytic properties of the self-energy. In particular, its lack of positive semi-definiteness leads to unphysical features such as negative spectral functions. In this work, we reformulate the $G3W2$ approximation within the algebraic-diagrammatic construction (ADC) framework. The resulting ADC-$G3W2$ formalism enforces the same analytic form as the exact self-energy, namely a sum-over-state representation, and, consequently, guarantees positive semi-definiteness. Starting from the $GW$ self-energy, we construct a hierarchy of ADC-based approximations of increasing sophistication, including ADC-2SOSEX, ADC(3)-$G3W2$, and a full ADC-$G3W2$ scheme. These methods can be interpreted as nonperturbative resummations of vertex corrections to the self-energy, yielding Hermitian effective Hamiltonians whose diagonalization provides quasiparticle and satellite energies. This establishes a formal bridge between many-body perturbation theory formulated in terms of the screened interaction $W$ and conventional ADC schemes based on the bare Coulomb interaction. The performance of these ADC-based approximations is gauged for valence ionization potentials and benchmarked against their parent method.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

Do Not Imitate, Reinforce: Iterative Classification via Belief Refinement

Standard supervised classification trains models to imitate the exact labels provided by a perfect oracle. This imitation happens in a single pass, restricting the model to a fixed compute budget even when inputs vary in complexity. Moreover, the rigid training objective forces the model to express absolute certainty on its training data, resulting in overconfident predictions during evaluation. We propose Reinforced Iterative Classification (RIC), which replaces the imitative objective with Reinforcement Learning (RL). RIC deploys a recurrent agent that iteratively updates a predictive distribution over classes, receiving reward for stepwise improvement in prediction quality. The value function provides a natural halting criterion by estimating the remaining scope for improvement. We prove that the iterative formulation recovers the same optimal predictions as cross-entropy while yielding an anytime classifier. On image classification benchmarks, RIC matches the accuracy of supervised baselines with improved calibration and learns to allocate computation adaptively across inputs.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2026

Renormalization group approach to second-order Green's function theory

In this work, we introduce a new approach for constructing a renormalized and regularized Fock matrix for self-consistent field calculations. The scheme relies on second-order perturbation theory and is conceptually related to quasiparticle self-consistent second-order Green's function theory (GF2). The regularization is derived within the framework of perturbative similarity renormalization group (SRG) theory. By optimizing both the regularization and spin-scaling parameters, we introduce three SRG-qsGF2 variants that enable accurate predictions of quasiparticle energies and dipole moments. Lastly, we demonstrate that formulating second-order perturbation theory for the total electronic energy using the renormalized SRG-qsGF2 Fock matrix as the unperturbed Hamiltonian mitigates divergence problems commonly observed in conventional Møller--Plesset perturbation theory.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Analytic $G_0W_0$ gradients based on a double-similarity transformation equation-of-motion coupled-cluster treatment

The accurate prediction of ionization potentials (IPs) is central to understanding molecular reactivity, redox behavior, and spectroscopic properties. While vertical IPs can be accessed directly from electronic excitations at fixed nuclear geometries, the computation of adiabatic IPs requires nuclear gradients of the ionized states, posing a major theoretical and computational challenge, especially within correlated frameworks. Among the most promising approaches for IP calculations is the many-body Green's function $GW$ method, which provides a balanced compromise between accuracy and computational efficiency. Furthermore, it is applicable to both finite and extended systems. Recent work has established formal connections between $GW$ and coupled-cluster doubles (CCD) theory, leading to the first derivation of analytic $GW$ nuclear gradients via a unitary CCD framework. In this work, we present an alternative, fully analytic formulation of $GW$ nuclear gradients based on a modified version of the traditional equation-of-motion CCD formalism, enabling the inclusion of missing correlation effects in the traditional CCD methods.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Fully Analytic Nuclear Gradients for the Bethe--Salpeter Equation

The Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) formalism, combined with the $GW$ approximation for ionization energies and electron affinities, is emerging as an efficient and accurate method for predicting optical excitations in molecules. In this letter, we present the first derivation and implementation of fully analytic nuclear gradients for the BSE@$G_0W_0$ method. Building on recent developments for $G_0W_0$ nuclear gradients, we derive analytic nuclear gradients for several BSE@$G_0W_0$ variants. We validate our implementation against numerical gradients and compare excited-state geometries and adiabatic excitation energies obtained from different BSE@$G_0W_0$ variants with those from state-of-the-art wavefunction methods.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Many-Body Linear Algebra, Hamiltonian Moments, and a Coupled Cluster Inspired Framework

We propose a general strategy to develop quantum many-body approximations of primitives in linear algebra algorithms. As a practical example, we introduce a coupled-cluster inspired framework to produce approximate Hamiltonian moments, and demonstrate its application in various linear algebra algorithms for ground state estimation. Through numerical examples, we illustrate the difference between the ground-state energies arising from quantum many-body linear algebra and those from the analogous many-body perturbation theory. Our results support the general idea of designing quantum many-body approximations outside of perturbation theory, providing a route to new algorithms and approximations.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Ab initio quantum many-body description of superconducting trends in the cuprates

Using a systematic ab initio quantum many-body approach that goes beyond low-energy models, we directly compute the superconducting pairing order and estimate the pairing gap of several doped cuprate materials and structures within a purely electronic picture. We find that we can correctly capture two well-known trends: the pressure effect, where the pairing order and gap increase with intra-layer pressure, and the layer effect, where the pairing order and gap vary with the number of copper-oxygen layers. From these calculations, we observe that the strength of superexchange and the covalency at optimal doping are the best descriptors for these trends. Our microscopic analysis further identifies that strong short-range spin fluctuations and multi-orbital charge fluctuations drive the development of the pairing order. Our work illustrates the possibility of a material-specific ab initio understanding of unconventional high-temperature superconducting materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Fully analytic G$_0$W$_0$ nuclear gradients

In this letter, we present the first fully analytic derivation and implementation of nuclear gradients for the G$_0$W$_0$ method. For this, we leverage the recently established connection between the G$_0$W$_0$ approach and equation-of-motion unitary coupled-cluster theory for charged excitations [J. Chem. Phys. 158, 124123 (2023)]. Analytic gradients are obtained through the Lagrangian technique and are implemented and validated by comparison with finite-difference calculations. For G$_0$W$_0$, we examine the effect of the Tamm--Dancoff approximation for evaluating the screened Coulomb interaction. Finally, we compare G$_0$W$_0$ adiabatic ionization potential and electron affinities to wavefunction-based electronic structure methods, and experimental values.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

Triplet Excitation-Energy Transfer Couplings from Subsystem Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory

We present an implementation of Triplet Excitation-Energy Transfer (TEET) couplings based on subsystem-based Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory (sTDDFT). TEET couplings are systematically investigated by comparing "exact" and approximate variants of sTDDFT. We demonstrate that, while sTDDFT utilizing explicit approximate Non-Additive Kinetic Energy (NAKE) density functionals is well-suited for describing Singlet Excitation-Energy Transfer (SEET) processes, it is inadequate for characterizing TEET. However, we show that Projection-based Embedding (PbE)-based sTDDFT addresses the challenges faced by NAKE-sTDDFT and emerges as a promising method for accurately describing electronic couplings in TEET processes. We also introduce the mixed PbE-/NAKE-embedding procedure to investigate TEET effects in solvated pairs of chromophores. This approach offers a good balance between accuracy and efficiency, enabling comprehensive studies of TEET processes in complex environments.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

AB-G$_0$W$_0$: A practical G$_0$W$_0$ method without frequency integration based on an auxiliary boson expansion

Common G$_0$W$_0$ implementations rely on numerical or analytical frequency integration to determine the G$_0$W$_0$ self-energy, which results in a variety of practical complications. Recently, we demonstrated an exact connection between the G$_0$W$_0$ approximation and equation-of-motion (EOM) quantum chemistry approaches [J. Chem. Phys., 158, 124123 (2023)]. Based on this connection, we propose a new method to determine G$_0$W$_0$ quasiparticle energies which completely avoids frequency integration and its associated problems. To achieve this, we make use of an auxiliary boson (AB) expansion. We name the new approach AB-G$_0$W$_0$ and demonstrate its practical applicability in a range of molecular problems.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

Block2: a comprehensive open source framework to develop and apply state-of-the-art DMRG algorithms in electronic structure and beyond

Block2 is an open source framework to implement and perform density matrix renormalization group and matrix product state algorithms. Out-of-the-box it supports the eigenstate, time-dependent, response, and finite-temperature algorithms. In addition, it carries special optimizations for ab initio electronic structure Hamiltonians and implements many quantum chemistry extensions to the density matrix renormalization group, such as dynamical correlation theories. The code is designed with an emphasis on flexibility, extensibility, and efficiency, and to support integration with external numerical packages. Here we explain the design principles and currently supported features and present numerical examples in a range of applications.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

Accelerating Analytic-Continuation GW Calculations with a Laplace Transformation and Natural Auxiliary Functions

We present a simple and accurate GW implementation based on a combination of a Laplace transformation (LT) and other acceleration techniques used in post-SCF quantum chemistry, namely, natural auxiliary functions and the frozen-core approximation. The LT-GW approach combines three major benefits: (a) a small prefactor for the computational scaling, (b) easy integration into existing molecular GW implementations, and (c) significant performance improvements for a wide range of possible applications. Illustrating these advantages for systems consisting of up to 352 atoms and 7412 basis functions, we further demonstrate the benefits of this approach combined with an efficient implementation of the Bethe-Salpeter equation.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Exact relationships between the GW approximation and equation-of-motion coupled-cluster theories through the quasi-boson formalism

We describe the relationship between the GW approximation and various equation-of-motion (EOM) coupled-cluster (CC) theories. We demonstrate the exact equivalence of the G$_0$W$_0$ approximation and the propagator theory for an electron-boson problem in a particular excitation basis. From there, we establish equivalence within the quasi-boson picture to the IP+EA-EOM unitary coupled-cluster propagator. We analyze the incomplete description of screening provided by the standard similarity-transformed IP+EA-EOM-CC and the recently introduced G$_0$W$_0$ Tamm-Dancoff approximation. We further consider the approximate decoupling of IP and EA sectors in EOM-CC treatments and devise the analogous particle-hole decoupling approach for the G$_0$W$_0$ approximation. Finally, we numerically demonstrate the exact relationships and magnitude of the approximations in calculations of a set of molecular ionization potentials and electron affinities.

physics.chem-ph↗