Discretization error cancellation in the plane-wave approximation of periodic Hamiltonians with Coulomb singularities

In solid-state physics, energies of molecular systems are usually computed with a plane-wave discretization of Kohn-Sham equations. A priori estimates of plane-wave convergence for periodic Kohn-Sham calculations with pseudopotentials have been proved , however in most computations in practice, plane-wave cut-offs are not tight enough to target the desired accuracy. It is often advocated that the real quantity of interest is not the value of the energy but of energy differences for different configurations. The computed energy difference is believed to be much more accurate because of `discretization error cancellation', since the sources of numerical errors are essentially the same for different configurations. For periodic linear Hamiltonians with Coulomb potentials, error cancellation can be explained by the universality of the Kato cusp condition. Using weighted Sobolev spaces, Taylor-type expansions of the eigenfunctions are available yielding a precise characterization of this singularity. This then gives an explicit formula of the first order term of the decay of the Fourier coefficients of the eigenfunctions. It enables one to prove that errors on eigenvalue differences are reduced but converge at the same rate as the error on the eigenvalue.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, improved result on main theorem, corrected typo

Variational projector-augmented wave method: a full-potential approach for electronic structure calculations in solid-state physics

In solid-state physics, energies of crystals are usually computed with a plane-wave discretization of Kohn-Sham equations. However the presence of Coulomb singularities requires the use of large plane-wave cut-offs to produce accurate numerical results. In this paper, an analysis of the plane-wave convergence of the eigenvalues of periodic linear Hamiltonians with Coulomb potentials using the variational projector-augmented wave (VPAW) method is presented. In the VPAW method, an invertible transformation is applied to the original eigenvalue problem, acting locally in balls centered at the singularities. In this setting, a generalized eigenvalue problem needs to be solved using plane-waves. We show that cusps of the eigenfunctions of the VPAW eigenvalue problem at the positions of the nuclei are significantly reduced. These eigenfunctions have however a higher-order derivative discontinuity at the spheres centered at the nuclei. By balancing both sources of error, we show that the VPAW method can drastically improve the plane-wave convergence of the eigenvalues with a minor additional computational cost. Numerical tests are provided confirming the efficiency of the method to treat Coulomb singularities.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figure

Projector augmented-wave method: an analysis in a one-dimensional setting

In this article, a numerical analysis of the projector augmented-wave (PAW) method is presented, restricted to the case of dimension one with Dirac potentials modeling the nuclei in a periodic setting. The PAW method is widely used in electronic ab initio calculations, in conjunction with pseudopotentials. It consists in replacing the original electronic Hamiltonian $H$ by a pseudo-Hamiltonian $H^{PAW}$ via the PAW transformation acting in balls around each nuclei. Formally, the new eigenvalue problem has the same eigenvalues as $H$ and smoother eigenfunctions. In practice, the pseudo-Hamiltonian $H^{PAW}$ has to be truncated, introducing an error that is rarely analyzed. In this paper, error estimates on the lowest PAW eigenvalue are proved for the one-dimensional periodic Schr\"odinger operator with double Dirac potentials.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figure

Dissociation limit of the H2 molecule in the particle-hole random phase approximation

In this work, we consider the particle-hole random phase approximation (phRPA), an approximation to the correlation energy in electronic structure, and show that the phRPA energy of the H2 molecule correctly dissociates. That is, as the hydrogen atoms are pulled apart, the phRPA energy of the system converges to twice the phRPA energy of a single hydrogen atom. Despite the simplicity of the H2 system, the correct dissociation of H2 is known to be a difficult problem for density functional approximations. As part of our result, we prove that the phRPA correlation energy is well-defined

Radiofrequency Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules and Recurrent Thyroid Cancers: Consensus Statement and Recommendations

Thermal ablation using radiofrequency is a new, minimally invasive modality employed as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. The Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology has developed recommendations for the optimal use of radiofrequency ablation for thyroid nodules. These recommendations are based on a comprehensive analysis of the current literature, the results of multicenter studies, and expert consensus

Projector augmented-wave method: an analysis in a one-dimensional setting

International audienceIn this article, a numerical analysis of the projector augmented-wave (PAW) method is presented, restricted to the case of dimension one with Dirac potentials modeling the nuclei in a periodic setting. The PAW method is widely used in electronic ab initio calculations, in conjunction with pseudopotentials. It consists in replacing the original electronic Hamiltonian by a pseudo-Hamiltonian PAW via the PAW transformation acting in balls around each nuclei. Formally, the new eigenvalue problem has the same eigenvalues as and smoother eigenfunctions. In practice, the pseudo-Hamiltonian PAW has to be truncated, introducing an error that is rarely analyzed. In this paper, error estimates on the lowest PAW eigenvalue are proved for the one-dimensional periodic Schrödinger operator with double Dirac potentials

Analyse de la méthode projector augmented-wave pour les calculs de structure électronique en géométrie périodique

This thesis is devoted to the study of the PAW method (projector augmented-wave) and of a variant called the variational PAW method (VPAW). These methods aim to accelerate the convergence of plane-wave methods in electronic structure calculations. They rely on an invertible transformation applied to the eigenvalue problem, which acts in a neighborhood of each atomic site. The transformation captures some difficulties caused by the Coulomb singularities. The VPAW method is applied to a periodic one-dimensional Schr\"odinger operator with Dirac potentials and analyzed in this setting. Eigenfunctions of this model have derivative jumps similar to the electronic cusps. The derivative jumps of eigenfunctions of the VPAW eigenvalue problem are significantly reduced. Hence, a smaller plane-wave cut-off is required for a given accuracy level. The study of the VPAW method is also carried out for 3D periodic Hamiltonians with Coulomb singularities yielding similar results. In the PAW method, the invertible transformation has infinite sums that are truncated in practice. The induced error is analyzed in the case of the periodic one-dimensional Schrödinger operator with Dirac potentials. Error bounds on the lowest eigenvalue are proved depending on the PAW parameters.Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude de la méthode PAW (projector augmented-wave) et d'une de ses modifications, baptisée méthode PAW variationnelle (VPAW), pour le calcul de l'état fondamental d'Hamiltoniens en géométrie périodique. Ces méthodes visent à améliorer la vitesse de convergence des méthodes d'ondes planes (ou méthodes de Fourier) en appliquant une transformation inversible au problème aux valeurs propres initial agissant au voisinage de chaque site atomique. Cette transformation permet de capter une partie des difficultés dues aux singularités coulombiennes. La méthode VPAW est analysée pour un opérateur de Schr\"odinger unidimensionnel avec des potentiels de Dirac. Les fonctions propres de ce modèle comprennent des sauts de dérivées similaires aux cusps électroniques. Le saut de dérivée des fonctions propres du problème aux valeurs propres issu de la méthode VPAW est réduit de façon importante. Cela entraîne une accélération de convergence en ondes planes du calcul des valeurs propres corroborée par une étude numérique. Une étude de la méthode VPAW est conduite pour des Hamiltoniens 3D périodiques avec des singularités coulombiennes, parvenant à des conclusions similaires. Pour la méthode PAW, la transformation inversible comporte des sommes infinies qui sont tronquées en pratique. Ceci introduit une erreur, qui est rarement quantifiée en pratique. Elle est analysée dans le cas de l'opérateur de Schrödinger unidimensionnel avec des potentiels de Dirac. Des bornes sur la plus basse valeur propre en fonction des paramètres PAW sont prouvées conformes aux tests numériques

Convergence analysis of adaptive DIIS algorithms with application to electronic ground state calculations

This paper deals with a general class of algorithms for the solution of fixed-point problems that we refer to as \emph{Anderson--Pulay acceleration}. This family includes the DIIS technique and its variant sometimes called commutator-DIIS, both introduced by Pulay in the 1980s to accelerate the convergence of self-consistent field procedures in quantum chemistry, as well as the related Anderson acceleration which dates back to the 1960s, and the wealth of techniques they have inspired. Such methods aim at accelerating the convergence of any fixed-point iteration method by combining several iterates in order to generate the next one at each step. This extrapolation process is characterised by its \emph{depth}, i.e. the number of previous iterates stored, which is a crucial parameter for the efficiency of the method. It is generally fixed to an empirical value. In the present work, we consider two parameter-driven mechanisms to let the depth vary along the iterations. In the first one, the depth grows until a certain nondegeneracy condition is no longer satisfied; then the stored iterates (save for the last one) are discarded and the method "restarts". In the second one, we adapt the depth continuously by eliminating at each step some of the oldest, less relevant, iterates. In an abstract and general setting, we prove under natural assumptions the local convergence and acceleration of these two adaptive Anderson--Pulay methods, and we show that one can theoretically achieve a superlinear convergence rate with each of them. We then investigate their behaviour in quantum chemistry calculations. These numerical experiments show that both adaptive variants exhibit a faster convergence than a standard fixed-depth scheme, and require on average less computational effort per iteration. This study is complemented by a review of known facts on the DIIS, in particular its link with the Anderson acceleration and some multisecant-type quasi-Newton methods.Comment: Final version to appear in ESAIM:M2A