Monika Stanke

Non-Born–Oppenheimer calculations of the BH molecule

Variational calculations employing explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions have been performed for the ground state of the boron monohydride molecule (BH) and for the boron atom (B). Up to 2000 Gaussians were used for each system. The calculations did not assume the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. In the optimization of the wave function, we employed the analytical energy gradient with respect to the Gaussian exponential parameters. In addition to the total nonrelativistic energies, we computed scalar relativistic corrections (mass-velocity and Darwin). With those added to the total energies, we estimated the dissociation energy of BH. The non-BO wave functions were also used to compute some expectation values involving operators dependent on the interparticle distances.

Orbit-orbit relativistic corrections to the pure vibrational non-Born-Oppenheimer energies of H2

We report the derivation of the orbit-orbit relativistic correction for calculating pure vibrational states of diatomic molecular systems with sigma electrons within the framework that does not assume the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The correction is calculated as the expectation value of the orbit-orbit interaction operator with the non-BO wave function expressed in terms of explicitly correlated Gaussian functions multiplied by even powers of the internuclear distance. With that we can now calculate the complete relativistic correction of the order of alpha(2) (where alpha=1/c). The new algorithm is applied to determine the full set of the rotationless vibrational levels and the corresponding transition frequencies of the H(2) molecule. The results are compared with the previous calculations, as well as with the frequencies obtained from the experimental spectra. The comparison shows the need to include corrections higher than second order in alpha to further improve the agreement between the theory and the experiment.

Isotope shift in the electron affinity of lithium

Very accurate electron affinity (EA) calculations of (6)Li and (7)Li (and (infinity)Li) have been performed using explicitly correlated Gaussian functions and a variational approach that explicitly includes the nuclear motion in the calculations (i.e., the approach that does not assume the Born-Oppenheimer approximation). The leading relativistic and quantum electrodynamics corrections to the electron affinities were also calculated. The results are the most accurate theoretical values obtained for the studied systems to date. Our best estimates of the (7)Li and (6)Li EAs are 4984.9842(30) and 4984.9015(30) cm(-1), respectively, and of the (7)Li/(6)Li EA isotope shift is 0.0827 cm(-1).

Charge asymmetry in pure vibrational states of the HD molecule

Very accurate variational calculations of all rotationless states (also called pure vibrational states) of the HD molecule have been performed within the framework that does not assume the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The non-BO wave functions of the states describing the internal motion of the proton, the deuteron, and the two electrons were expanded in terms of one-center explicitly correlated Gaussian functions multiplied by even powers of the internuclear distance. Up to 6000 functions were used for each state. Both linear and nonlinear parameters of the wave functions of all 18 states were optimized with a procedure that employs the analytical gradient of the energy with respect to the nonlinear parameters of the Gaussians. These wave functions were used to calculate expectation values of the interparticle distances and some other related quantities. The results allow elucidation of the charge asymmetry in HD as a function of the vibrational excitation.

Electron affinity of Li7 calculated with the inclusion of nuclear motion and relativistic corrections

Explicitly correlated Gaussian functions have been used to perform very accurate variational calculations for the ground states of (7)Li and (7)Li(-). The nuclear motion has been explicitly included in the calculations (i.e., they have been done without assuming the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation). An approach based on the analytical energy gradient calculated with respect to the Gaussian exponential parameters was employed. This led to a noticeable improvement of the previously determined variational upper bound to the nonrelativistic energy of Li(-). The Li energy obtained in the calculations matches those of the most accurate results obtained with Hylleraas functions. The finite-mass (non-BO) wave functions were used to calculate the alpha(2) relativistic corrections (alpha=1c). With those corrections and the alpha(3) and alpha(4) corrections taken from Pachucki and Komasa [J. Chem. Phys. 125, 204304 (2006)], the electron affinity (EA) of (7)Li was determined. It agrees very well with the most recent experimental EA.

Darwin and mass-velocity relativistic corrections in non-Born-Oppenheimer variational calculations

The Pauli approach to account for the mass-velocity and Darwin relativistic corrections has been applied to the formalism for quantum mechanical molecular calculations that does not assume the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation regarding separability of the electronic and nuclear motions in molecular systems. The corrections are determined using the first order perturbation theory and are derived for the non-BO wave function of a diatomic system expressed in terms of explicitly correlated Gaussian functions with premultipliers in the form of even powers of the internuclear distance. As a numerical example we used calculations of the transition energies for pure vibrational states of the HD(+) ion.

Darwin and mass-velocity relativistic corrections in the non-Born-Oppenheimer calculations of pure vibrational states of H2

The Darwin and mass-velocity relativistic corrections have been calculated for all pure vibrational states of the H2 using the perturbation theory and very accurate variational wave functions obtained without assuming the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. Expansions in terms of explicitly correlated Gaussians with premultipliers in the form of even powers of the internuclear distance were used for the wave functions. With the inclusion of the two relativistic corrections to the non-BO energies the transition energies for the highest states agree more with the experimental results.

Isotope shifts of the three lowest S1 states of the B+ ion calculated with a finite-nuclear-mass approach and with relativistic and quantum electrodynamics corrections

We present very accurate quantum mechanical calculations of the three lowest S-states [1s(2)2s(2)((1)S(0)), 1s(2)2p(2)((1)S(0)), and 1s(2)2s3s((1)S(0))] of the two stable isotopes of the boron ion, (10)B(+) and (11)B(+). At the nonrelativistic level the calculations have been performed with the Hamiltonian that explicitly includes the finite mass of the nucleus as it was obtained by a rigorous separation of the center-of-mass motion from the laboratory frame Hamiltonian. The spatial part of the nonrelativistic wave function for each state was expanded in terms of 10,000 all-electron explicitly correlated Gaussian functions. The nonlinear parameters of the Gaussians were variationally optimized using a procedure involving the analytical energy gradient determined with respect to the nonlinear parameters. The nonrelativistic wave functions of the three states were subsequently used to calculate the leading alpha(2) relativistic corrections (alpha is the fine structure constant; alpha=1/c, where c is the speed of light) and the alpha(3) quantum electrodynamics (QED) correction. We also estimated the alpha(4) QED correction by calculating its dominant component. A comparison of the experimental transition frequencies with the frequencies obtained based on the energies calculated in this work shows an excellent agreement. The discrepancy is smaller than 0.4 cm(-1).

Relativistic corrections to the non-Born-Oppenheimer energies of the lowest singlet Rydberg states of He3 and He4

In this work the authors present an approach to calculate the leading-order relativistic corrections for ground and excited states of helium isotopomers. In the calculations they used variational wave functions expanded in terms of explicitly correlated Gaussians obtained without assuming the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

Accurate non-Born-Oppenheimer calculations of the complete pure vibrational spectrum of D2 with including relativistic corrections

In this work we report very accurate variational calculations of the complete pure vibrational spectrum of the D(2) molecule performed within the framework where the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation is not assumed. After the elimination of the center-of-mass motion, D(2) becomes a three-particle problem in this framework. As the considered states correspond to the zero total angular momentum, their wave functions are expanded in terms of all-particle, one-center, spherically symmetric explicitly correlated Gaussian functions multiplied by even non-negative powers of the internuclear distance. The nonrelativistic energies of the states obtained in the non-BO calculations are corrected for the relativistic effects of the order of α(2) (where α = 1/c is the fine structure constant) calculated as expectation values of the operators representing these effects.