Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2501.12765

Self-Refinement of Auxiliary-Field Quantum Monte Carlo via Non-Orthogonal Configuration Interaction

Zoran Sukurma·Martin Schlipf·Georg Kresse
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

For optimal accuracy, auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) requires trial states consisting of multiple Slater determinants. We develop an efficient algorithm to select the determinants from an AFQMC random walk eliminating the need for other methods. When determinants contribute significantly to the non-orthogonal configuration interaction energy, we include them in the trial state. These refined trial wave functions significantly reduce the phaseless bias and sampling variance of the local energy estimator. With 100 to 200 determinants, we lower the error of AFQMC by up to a factor of 10 for second row elements that are not accurately described with a Hartree-Fock trial wave function. For the HEAT set, we improve the average error to within the chemical accuracy. For benzene, the largest studied system, we reduce AFQMC error by 80% with 214 Slater determinants and find a 10-fold increase of the time to solution. We show that the remaining error of the method prevails in systems with static correlation or strong spin contamination.

Explore related subjects

physics.chem-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Zoran Sukurma, Martin Schlipf, Georg Kresse. 2025-01-22. Self-Refinement of Auxiliary-Field Quantum Monte Carlo via Non-Orthogonal Configuration Interaction. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.5c00127

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Breaking Water at Graphene Defects

Water dissociation at solid surfaces underpins processes ranging from corrosion and catalysis to electrochemistry and photovoltaics. Defects often serve as reactive sites for dissociation, yet how solvation influences water dissociation at such sites remains poorly understood. Here, we use state-of-the-art machine-learned interatomic potentials to explore water dissociation at defective graphene-water interfaces. We show that solvation qualitatively changes the reaction mechanism at a graphene single vacancy (SV), opening pathways that are absent for an isolated water molecule. Whereas the gas-phase process proceeds via a single concerted channel, the solvated SV splits water through two competing pathways: a basic route forming SV-H and OH-(aq), and an acidic route forming SV-OH and H3O+(aq). These lower-barrier pathways produce distinct chemisorbed intermediates that enhance graphene-water adsorption. Accordingly, even a simple carbon vacancy gives rise to unexpectedly rich interfacial chemistry, coupling surface chemistry to interfacial charge and wettability, with implications for carbon functionalization and nanofluidic transport.

physics.chem-ph↗
arXiv2026

Nonlinear Freezing of Vibrational Polariton Transport via Mesoscale Simulations

Two-dimensional real-space imaging of vibrational polariton transport in planar Fabry--Pérot microcavities is numerically simulated via the mesoscale cavity molecular dynamics approach, which self-consistently propagates $\sim\!2\times10^4$ realistic molecular simulation cells on a two-dimensional grid coupled to the same number of cavity modes. Beyond the well-known polariton ballistic-to-diffusive turnover in the linear response regime, these atomistic simulations reveal a nonlinear freezing mechanism of vibrational polariton transport, i.e., under strong pumping of the upper polariton, the initially ballistically propagating upper polariton completely freezes and localizes energy to molecules at specific locations. This mechanism originates from pump-induced breaking of the in-plane translation symmetry: significant molecular excitations at the pulse hot spot broaden the polariton density of states, thus funneling population to the $k_{\parallel}\rightarrow 0$ band edge with vanishing group velocities. Overall, our work provides numerical insights for exploring novel mechanisms of vibrational polaritons.

physics.chem-ph↗
arXiv2026

Comprehensive Study of L-Menthol and Octanoic Acid as a Hydrophobic Eutectic Solvent

Hydrophobic eutectic solvents (HES) based on natural compounds represent promising green alternatives to conventional solvents. In this work, we investigate the physicochemical, structural, and dynamical properties of an ES formed by L-menthol and octanoic acid using a combined experimental and molecular dynamics simulation approach. Five compositions with molar ratios from 1:3 to 3:1 were studied with molecular dynamics simulation in the temperature range 15 degrees C to 35 degrees C. Experimental measurements of density and viscosity in the temperature range from 5 degrees C to 35 degrees C were complemented with results obtained from MD simulations employing the OPLS force field. Structural analyses based on radial distribution functions and Kirkwood-Buff integrals reveal that the dominant interactions in the mixture are hydrogen bonds between L-menthol and octanoic acid molecules. Dynamic properties, including self-diffusion coefficients and hydrogen-bond lifetimes, indicate that intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the two components are stronger and longer-lived than bonds between identical species. These findings provide molecular-level insight into the structure and transport properties of menthol-based ESs relevant for green solvent applications.

physics.chem-ph↗