Localized Wannier functions provide an efficient and intuitive means by which
to compute dielectric properties from first principles. They are most commonly
constructed in a post-processing step, following total-energy minimization.
Nonorthogonal generalized Wannier functions (NGWFs) [Skylaris et al., Phys.
Rev. B 66, 035119 11 (2002); Skylaris et al., J. Chem. Phys. 122, 084119
(2005)] may also be optimized in situ, in the process of solving for the
ground-state density. We explore the relationship between NGWFs and
orthonormal, maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWFs) [Marzari and
Vanderbilt, Phys. Rev. B 56, 12847 (1997); Souza, Marzari, and Vanderbilt,
ibid. 65, 035109 (2001)], demonstrating that NGWFs may be used to compute
electric dipole polarizabilities efficiently, with no necessity for
post-processing optimization, and with an accuracy comparable to MLWFs.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. This version matches that accepted for Physical
Review B on 4th May 201
