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At least 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Unitary coupled-cluster based self-consistent polarization propagator theory: A quadratic unitary coupled-cluster singles and doubles scheme

The development of a quadratic unitary coupled-cluster singles and doubles (qUCCSD) based self-consistent polarization propagator method is reported here. We present a simple strategy for truncating the commutator expansion of the unitary version of coupled-cluster transformed Hamiltonian $\bar{H}$. The qUCCSD method for the electronic ground state includes up to double commutators for the amplitude equations and up to cubic commutators for the energy expression. The qUCCSD excited-state eigenvalue equations include up to double commutators for the singles–singles block of $\bar{H}$, single commutators for the singles–doubles and doubles–singles blocks, and the bare Hamiltonian for the doubles–doubles block. Benchmark qUCCSD calculations of the ground-state properties and excitation energies for representative molecules demonstrate significant improvement of the accuracy and robustness over the previous UCC3 scheme derived using Møller–Plesset perturbation theory.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Real-time equation-of-motion CC cumulant and CC Green’s function simulations of photoemission spectra of water and water dimer

Newly developed coupled-cluster (CC) methods enable simulations of ionization potentials and spectral functions of molecular systems in a wide range of energy scales ranging from core-binding to valence. This paper discusses the results obtained with the real-time equation-of-motion CC cumulant (RT-EOM-CC) approach and CC Green’s function (CCGF) approaches in applications to the water and water dimer molecules. Here, we compare the ionization potentials obtained with these methods for the valence region with the results obtained with the coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples formulation as a difference of energies for N and N – 1 electron systems. All methods show good agreement with each other. They also agree well with the experiment with errors usually below 0.1 eV for the ionization potentials. We also analyze unique features of the spectral functions, associated with the position of satellite peaks, obtained with the RT-EOM-CC and CCGF methods employing single and double excitations, as a function of the monomer OH bond length and the proton transfer coordinate in the dimer. Finally, we analyze the impact of the basis set effects on the quality of calculated ionization potentials and find that the basis set effects are less pronounced for the augmented-type sets.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluating Energy Differences on a Quantum Computer with Robust Phase Estimation

Here, we adapt the robust phase estimation algorithm to the evaluation of energy differences between two eigenstates using a quantum computer. This approach does not require controlled unitaries between auxiliary and system registers or even a single auxiliary qubit. As a proof of concept, we calculate the energies of the ground state and low-lying electronic excitations of a hydrogen molecule in a minimal basis on a cloud quantum computer. The denominative robustness of our approach is then quantified in terms of a high tolerance to coherent errors in the state preparation and measurement. Conceptually, we note that all quantum phase estimation algorithms ultimately evaluate eigenvalue differences.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Mo8P9Br(N3O14)4 by Materials Project

(Mo2P2O13)4(N2)4PO4N4Br crystallizes in the tetragonal P-4 space group. The structure is two-dimensional and consists of eight ammonia molecules; one phosphoric acid molecule; one N4Br cluster; and two Mo2P2O13 sheets oriented in the (0, 0, 1) direction. In the N4Br cluster, N is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Br atom. The N–Br bond length is 2.17 Å. Br is bonded in a rectangular see-saw-like geometry to four equivalent N atoms. In each Mo2P2O13 sheet, there are two inequivalent Mo sites. In the first Mo site, Mo is bonded to six O atoms to form distorted MoO6 octahedra that share a cornercorner with one MoO6 octahedra and corners with three PO4 tetrahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 26°. There are a spread of Mo–O bond distances ranging from 1.73–2.24 Å. In the second Mo site, Mo is bonded to six O atoms to form distorted MoO6 octahedra that share a cornercorner with one MoO6 octahedra and corners with three PO4 tetrahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 27°. There are a spread of Mo–O bond distances ranging from 1.75–2.32 Å. There are two inequivalent P sites. In the first P site, P is bonded to four O atoms to form PO4 tetrahedra that share corners with three MoO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 17–48°. There is two shorter (1.54 Å) and two longer (1.55 Å) P–O bond length. In the second P site, P is bonded to four O atoms to form PO4 tetrahedra that share corners with three MoO6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 34–48°. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.53–1.55 Å. There are fourteen inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Mo atoms. In the second O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Mo atom. In the third O site, O is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one Mo and one P atom. In the fourth O site, O is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one Mo and one P atom. In the fifth O site, O is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one Mo and one P atom. In the sixth O site, O is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one Mo and one P atom. In the seventh O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Mo atom. In the eighth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to one Mo and one P atom. In the ninth O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Mo atom. In the tenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Mo atoms. In the eleventh O site, O is bonded in a 1-coordinate geometry to one Mo and one P atom. In the twelfth O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one P atom. In the thirteenth O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Mo atom. In the fourteenth O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one P atom.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Wavelength-dependent photodissociation of iodomethylbutane

Ultrashort XUV pulses of the Free-Electron-LASer in Hamburg (FLASH) were used to investigate laser-induced fragmentation patterns of the prototypical chiral molecule 1-iodo-2-methyl-butane (C 5 H 11 I) in a pump-probe scheme. Ion velocity-map images and mass spectra of optical-laser-induced fragmentation were obtained for subsequent FEL exposure with photon energies of 63 eV and 75 eV. These energies specifically address the iodine 4d edge of neutral and singly charged iodine, respectively. The presented ion spectra for two optical pump-laser wavelengths, i.e., 800 nm and 267 nm, reveal substantially different cationic fragment yields in dependence on the wavelength and intensity. For the case of 800-nm-initiated fragmentation, the molecule dissociates notably slower than for the 267 nm pump. The results underscore the importance of considering optical-laser wavelength and intensity in the dissociation dynamics of this prototypical chiral molecule that is a promising candidate for future studies of its asymmetric nature.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Engineering Structural Transitions in a Multilevel Molecular Switch via Intermolecular Coupling

Controlling molecular conformations with atomic precision is essential for advancing molecular functional electronics, as well as our understanding of molecular dynamics. While switching between bistable molecular conformers is common in nature, creating systems with multiple, addressable states remains synthetically challenging. Here, we demonstrate a bottom-up strategy in which intermolecular interactions give rise to multilevel functionality within a simple two-molecule assembly. Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, we show that a pyrrolidine dimer on Cu(100) exhibits six distinct adsorption conformations, exceeding the four expected from two independent bistable units. This unusual complexity arises from the interplay between intermolecular van der Waals attraction and steric repulsion, which reshapes the potential energy landscape and changes a single high-energy transition into a sequential two-step pathway. Each step is driven by low-energy inelastic electron excitations, achieving a switching efficiency an order of magnitude higher than that of the monomer. Here, by tuning the bias voltage and tip–molecule distance, we achieve deterministic control over multiple stable states, establishing a general design principle for on-demand engineering of collective molecular behavior and energy-efficient multilevel molecular devices.

Molecular interactions↗
DOE OSTI2021

rmc-discord : reverse Monte Carlo refinement of diffuse scattering and correlated disorder from single crystals

A user-friendly program has been developed to analyze diffuse scattering from single crystals with the reverse Monte Carlo method. The approach allows for refinement of correlated disorder from atomistic supercells with magnetic or structural (occupational and/or displacive) disorder. The program is written in Python and optimized for performance and efficiency. Refinements of two user cases obtained with legacy neutron-scattering data demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach and the developed program. It is shown with bixbyite, a naturally occurring magnetic mineral, that the calculated three-dimensional spin-pair correlations are resolved with finer real-space resolution compared with the pair distribution function calculated directly from the reciprocal-space pattern. With the triangular lattice Ba 3 Co 2 O 6 (CO 3 ) 0.7 , refinements of occupational and displacive disorder are combined to extract the one-dimensional intra-chain correlations of carbonate molecules that move toward neighboring vacant sites to accommodate strain induced by electrostatic interactions. The program is packaged with a graphical user interface and extensible to serve the needs of single-crystal diffractometer instruments that collect diffuse-scattering data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Toward Å-fs-meV Resolution in Electron Microscopy: Systematic Simulation of the Temporal Spread of Single-Electron Packets

Though efforts to improve the temporal resolution of transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) have waxed and waned for decades, with relatively recent advances routinely reaching sub-picosecond scales, fundamental and practical challenges have hindered the advance of combined Å-fs-meV resolutions, particularly for core-loss spectroscopy and real-space imaging. This is due in no small part to the complexity of the approach required to access timescales upon which electrons, atoms, molecules, and materials first begin to respond and transform – attoseconds to picoseconds. Here we present part of a larger effort devoted to systematically mapping the instrument parameter space of a TEM modified to reach ultrafast timescales. With General Particle Tracer, we studied the statistical temporal distributions of single-electron packets as a function of various fs pulsed-laser parameters and electron-gun configurations and fields for the exact architecture and dimensions of a Thermo Fisher Tecnai Femto ultrafast electron microscope. We focused on easily-adjustable parameters, such as laser pulse duration, laser spot size, photon energy, Wehnelt aperture diameter, and photocathode size. In addition to establishing trends and dispersion behaviors, we identify regimes within which packet duration can be 100s of fs and approach the 300-fs laser limit employed here. Overall, the results provide a detailed picture of the temporal behavior of single-electron packets in the Tecnai Femto gun region, forming the initial contribution of a larger effort.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Strain enhances the activity of molecular electrocatalysts via carbon nanotube supports

Abstract Support-induced strain engineering is useful for modulating the properties of two-dimensional materials. However, controlling strain of planar molecules is technically challenging due to their sub-2 nm lateral size. Additionally, the effect of strain on molecular properties remains poorly understood. Here we show that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are ideal substrates for inducing optimum properties through molecular curvature. In a tandem-flow electrolyser with monodispersed cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) on single-walled CNTs (CoPc/SWCNTs) for CO 2 reduction, we achieve a methanol partial current density of >90 mA cm −2 with >60% selectivity, surpassing wide multiwalled CNTs at 16.6%. We report vibronic and X-ray spectroscopies to unravel the distinct local geometries and electronic structures induced by the strong molecule–support interactions. Grand canonical density functional theory confirms that curved CoPc/SWCNTs improve *CO binding to enable subsequent reduction, whereas wide multiwalled CNTs favour CO desorption. Our results show the important role of SWCNTs beyond catalyst dispersion and electron conduction.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fluorescence imaging of individual ions and molecules in pressurized noble gases for barium tagging in 136Xe

Abstract The imaging of individual Ba 2+ ions in high pressure xenon gas is one possible way to attain background-free sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay and hence establish the Majorana nature of the neutrino. In this paper we demonstrate selective single Ba 2+ ion imaging inside a high-pressure xenon gas environment. Ba 2+ ions chelated with molecular chemosensors are resolved at the gas-solid interface using a diffraction-limited imaging system with scan area of 1 × 1 cm 2 located inside 10 bar of xenon gas. This form of microscopy represents key ingredient in the development of barium tagging for neutrinoless double beta decay searches in 136 Xe. This also provides a new tool for studying the photophysics of fluorescent molecules and chemosensors at the solid-gas interface to enable bottom-up design of catalysts and sensors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multiresolution Quantum Chemistry: Nonlinear Response Properties at the Basis Set Limit

We benchmark the accuracy of Dunning correlation-consistent Gaussian basis sets for computing frequencydependent second-order hyperpolarizabilities relevant to second-harmonic generation (SHG), using multiresolution analysis (MRA) as a reference. Basis set errors are analyzed using a unit-sphere representation of the effective hyperpolarizability vector, enabling direct assessment of directional error structure. We introduce a relative RMS total error metric that integrates directional deviations over the unit sphere and complement it with signed projection errors that distinguish over- and underestimation. Unsupervised clustering based on these signed directional metrics reveals four distinct convergence behaviors across a set of 68 molecules. Unitsphere visualizations of representative systems show that basis set errors are often highly anisotropic and localized along specific bond directions, even when global error measures appear small. Doubly augmented basis sets consistently outperform singly augmented ones, and core-polarization functions are required for uniform convergence in second-row systems. Overall, this work demonstrates that directional analysis combined with clustering provides a robust framework for understanding basis set convergence in nonlinear optical response properties.

Basis sets↗
DOE OSTI2021

Uncertainty Quantification and Error Propagation in the Enthalpy and Entropy of Surface Reactions Arising from a Single DFT Functional

Accounting for parametric uncertainty in models is essential for quantifying the models’ predictive ability. Recently, approaches have been introduced to estimate parametric uncertainty in kinetic models while accounting for correlations among energy parameters. However, correlations have been estimated indirectly and correlations in entropies have not been accounted for. For surface-catalyzed microkinetic models of >C2 (more than two carbon-containing) molecules, which consist of thousands of reaction steps and intermediate surface species, first-principles density functional theory (DFT) is costly, and thus, estimation of thermochemistry and reaction barriers requires surrogate methods of DFT, such as group additivity and Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi relationships, respectively. For such parametrization, model uncertainty is unclear. This work develops a framework to overcome these gaps using group additivity and a single DFT functional. We estimate correlations in parameters of kinetic models and quantify uncertainty for thermochemistry, reaction barriers, reaction paths, and ultimately reaction rates, accounting also for the contribution of entropic uncertainty. Furthermore, the approach is illustrated on propane combustion and ethane oxidative dehydrogenation reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Molecular Orientation for Vapor-Deposited Organic Glasses Follows Rate-Temperature Superposition: The Case of Posaconazole

The anisotropic properties of organic glasses produced by physical vapor deposition (PVD) depend upon substrate temperature and deposition rate. In recent work, it was shown for a liquid crystalline system that the anisotropic structure of the glass was controlled by a single combined variable as indicated by the observation of deposition rate-substrate temperature superposition (RTS). Here we test the utility of RTS for posaconazole, a molecule that does not form liquid crystals. We prepare glasses of posaconazole utilizing a range of deposition rates covering 2 orders of magnitude and an 18 K range in substrate temperature. We characterize the glasses using ellipsometry and X-ray scattering. Consistent with RTS, we find that decreasing the deposition rate has the same effect upon molecular orientation as increasing the substrate temperature during deposition. Thus, RTS can be used to predict and control the structure of glasses prepared at a wide range of deposition conditions. We use RTS to infer a characteristic time for molecular reorientation at the surface of posaconazole.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

The approximate second order coupled-cluster method based on a size-consistent Brillouin–Wigner partitioning

We present a variant of the approximate second order coupled-cluster method (CC2) with a two-parameter size-consistent Brillouin–Wigner (BW-s) partitioning instead of a Møller–Plesset (MP) partitioning for the unperturbed Hamiltonian, which we refer to as BWs-CC2. The computational complexity of this model scales identically to CC2 with molecular size. Conventional CC2 and its regularized BWs-CC2 variants, as well as conventional MP2 and two of its regularized BW-s2 variants, were assessed on a 535 element database spanning thermochemistry, non-covalent interactions, barrier heights, and isomerization energies. To ensure a well-defined model chemistry, the assessment was performed using internally stable spin-polarized Hartree–Fock (HF) orbitals in the finite aug-cc-pVQZ basis without counterpoise corrections. As a result of using stable orbitals, contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that CC2 substantially outperforms MP2 on molecules with significantly spin contaminated reference orbitals without a significant increase in error on systems with a spin-pure reference, showing the value of its single substitutions. While no single choice of regularization parameters can be optimal for all datasets, we find that BWs-CC2 generally outperforms both CC2 and BW-s2 with a single judicious parameter choice. Additional tests on dipole moments and bond lengths of diatomics provide further support for the utility of this choice. Furthermore, the main outliers and poorest performing cases are associated with large amounts of spin-contamination in the HF reference, which is indicative of systems with either strong correlation or extensive artificial symmetry breaking. Overall, these findings argue that the perception of the quality of the CC2 ground state should be reevaluated and that it can be further improved upon by the soundly based BWs-CC2 variant with the recommended parameter choice.

Correlation energy↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on H8CN2(ClO5)2 by Materials Project

CH8(NO)2(ClO4)2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbcn space group. The structure is zero-dimensional and consists of four [methanediylbis(oxy)]diammonium molecules and eight ClO4 clusters. In each ClO4 cluster, there are four inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.46 Å. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.44 Å. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.48 Å. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.47 Å. Cl1- is bonded in a tetrahedral geometry to four O2- atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on ClO3 by Materials Project

ClO3 crystallizes in the monoclinic Cc space group. The structure is zero-dimensional and consists of four hypochlorous acid;hydrate molecules and four ClO4 clusters. In each ClO4 cluster, there are four inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.45 Å. In the second O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.49 Å. In the third O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.48 Å. In the fourth O site, O is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.44 Å. Cl is bonded in a tetrahedral geometry to four O atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on H5N2ClO4 by Materials Project

NH2NH3ClO4 crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/c space group. The structure is zero-dimensional and consists of eight ammonia molecules, eight ammonia molecules, and eight ClO4 clusters. In each ClO4 cluster, there are four inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.46 Å. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.46 Å. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.46 Å. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.48 Å. Cl1- is bonded in a tetrahedral geometry to four O2- atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on H12C4NClO4 by Materials Project

(CH3)4NClO4 is Silicon tetrafluoride-derived structured and crystallizes in the orthorhombic P2_12_12 space group. The structure is zero-dimensional and consists of four tetramethylammonium molecules and four ClO4 clusters. In each ClO4 cluster, there are four inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.47 Å. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.46 Å. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.46 Å. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one Cl1- atom. The O–Cl bond length is 1.47 Å. Cl1- is bonded in a tetrahedral geometry to four O2- atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗