Recent Developments And Applications Of Modern Density Functional Theory

The present status of Density Functional Theory (DFT), which has evolved as the main technique for the study of matter at the atomistic level, is described in this volume. Knowing the behavior of atoms and molecules provides a sure avenue for the design of new materials with specific features and properties in many areas of science and technology. A technique based on purely first principles allowing large savings in time and money greatly benefits the specialist or designer of new materials. The range of areas where DFT is applied has expanded and continues to do so. Any area where a molecular system is the center of attention can be studied using DFT.The scope of the 22 chapters in this book amply testifies to this.

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is currently receiving a great deal of attention as chemists come to realize its important role as a tool for chemistry. This book covers the theoretical principles of DFT, and details its application to several contemporary problems. All current techniques are covered, many are critically assessed, and some proposals for the future are reviewed. The book demonstrates that DFT is a practical solution to the problems standard ab initio methods have with chemical accuracy. The book is aimed at both the theoretical chemist and the experimentalist who want to relate their experiments to the governing theory. It will prove a useful and enduring reference work.

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is a powerful technique for calculating and comprehending the molecular and electrical structure of atoms, molecules, clusters, and solids. Its use is based not only on the capacity to calculate the molecular characteristics of the species of interest but also on the provision of interesting concepts that aid in a better understanding of the chemical reactivity of the systems under study. This book presents examples of recent advances, new perspectives, and applications of DFT for the understanding of chemical reactivity through descriptors forming the basis of Conceptual DFT as well as the application of the theory and its related computational procedures in the determination of the molecular properties of different systems of academic, social, and industrial interest.

This book is an outcome of the International Workshop on Electronic Density Functional Theory, held at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, in July 1996. Density functional theory, standing as it does at the boundary between the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and materials science, is a great mixer. Invited experts from North America, Europe, and Australia mingled with students from several disciplines, rapidly taking up the informal style for which Australia is famous. A list of participants is given at the end of the book. Density functional theory (DFT) is a subtle approach to the very difficult problem of predicting the behavior of many interacting particles. A major application is the study of many-electron systems. This was the workshop theme, embracing inter alia computational chemistry and condensed matter physics. DFT circumvents the more conceptually straightforward (but more computationally intensive) approach in which one solves the many-body Schrodinger equation. It relies instead on rather delicate considerations involving the electron number density. For many years the pioneering work of Kohn and Sham (the Local Density Ap proximation of 1965 and immediate extensions) represented the state of the art in DFT. This approach was widely used for its appealing simplicity and computability, but gave rather modest accuracy. In the last few years there has been a renaissance of interest, quite largely due to the remarkable success of the new generation of gradient functionals whose initiators include invitees to the workshop (Perdew, Parr, Yang).

Modern day's electronic structure theory of molecules, solids, materials, biomolecules, etc., heavily depends on the astounding success of density functional theory (DFT). Ever since its inception, the theory has come a long way. Despite the fact that there are many disconcerting open questions yet to be answered, it has made a remarkable impact towards our understanding of increasingly larger and complex systems. This book presents some of the exciting, important, latest developments that took place in DFT, of late. The main focus lies on theoretical, computational and conceptual aspects including formalism, algorithm etc., with some applications.

Of all the different areas in computational chemistry, density functional theory (DFT) enjoys the most rapid development. Even at the level of the local density approximation (LDA), which is computationally less demanding, DFT can usually provide better answers than Hartree-Fock formalism for large systems such as clusters and solids. For atoms and molecules, the results from DFT often rival those obtained by ab initio quantum chemistry, partly because larger basis sets can be used. Such encouraging results have in turn stimulated workers to further investigate the formal theory as well as the computational methodology of DFT.This Part II expands on the methodology and applications of DFT. Some of the chapters report on the latest developments (since the publication of Part I in 1995), while others extend the applications to wider range of molecules and their environments. Together, this and other recent review volumes on DFT show that DFT provides an efficient and accurate alternative to traditional quantum chemical methods. Such demonstration should hopefully stimulate frutiful developments in formal theory, better exchange-correlation functionals, and linear scaling methodology.

Of all the different areas in computational chemistry, density functional theory (DFT) enjoys the most rapid development. Even at the level of the local density approximation (LDA), which is computationally less demanding, DFT can usually provide better answers than Hartree-Fock formalism for large systems such as clusters and solids. For atoms and molecules, the results from DFT often rival those obtained by ab initio quantum chemistry, partly because larger basis sets can be used. Such encouraging results have in turn stimulated workers to further investigate the formal theory as well as the computational methodology of DFT.This volume contains ten contributions from active workers in DFT, covering topics from basic principles to methodology to applications. In the Foreword, Prof Walter Kohn gives his perspective on the recent advances in DFT. Because DFT is being developed in so many different directions, no single volume can provide a complete review of DFT. However, this volume will help both beginners and experimentalists to read the growing DFT literature more easily.

Modern day's electronic structure theory of molecules, solids, materials, biomolecules, etc., heavily depends on the astounding success of density functional theory (DFT). Ever since its inception, the theory has come a long way. Despite the fact that there are many disconcerting open questions yet to be answered, it has made a remarkable impact towards our understanding of increasingly larger and complex systems. This book presents some of the exciting, important, latest developments that took place in DFT, of late. The main focus lies on theoretical, computational and conceptual aspects including formalism, algorithm etc., with some applications.