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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

From closed shells to open shells: Coupled-cluster calculations of atomic nuclei

Coupled-cluster theory is a powerful tool for first-principles calculations of atomic nuclei, enabling accurate predictions of nuclear observables across the Segrè chart. While coupled-cluster computations are especially efficient at shell closures, extensions have been developed to tackle open-shell nuclei, by exploiting the equation-of-motion method or by expanding the coupled-cluster wave function on top of a symmetry-breaking (either deformed or superfluid) reference state. In this study, we provide a comprehensive comparison of these different formulations applied to the calcium and nickel isotopes using nuclear two-and three-body interactions from chiral effective field theory. Here, based on ground-state energies, two-neutron separation energies, and two-neutron shell gaps, different coupled-cluster computations—based on symmetry-broken reference states and equationof-motion techniques— offer consistent descriptions of bulk properties across medium-mass isotopic chains.

Marino, Francesco [Johannes Gutenberg-Universität ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recent advances in coupled cluster computations of open-shell atomic nuclei

In this contribution, we report on recent progress in coupled-cluster simulations of open-shell atomic nuclei using interactions consistently derived from chiral effective field theory. In particular, we compare different coupled-cluster approaches by computing binding energies and electric dipole polarizabilities in medium-mass calcium isotopes.

Marino, Francesco [Johannes Gutenberg Univ., Mainz↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quantitative Determination of Electronic Effects in Free Radicals through Open-Shell Hammett Substituent Constants

Hammett substituent constants (σ), which quantify the electronic effects of functional groups, are widely used for predicting the properties of organic compounds and investigating reaction mechanisms. While these values have been obtained for a wide range of closed-shell substituents, measurements of analogous values for open-shell substituents are rare due to challenges associated with their short lifetimes. Here, in this report, we developed a combined experimental and computational approach for quantifying the electronic properties of open-shell substituents based on changes in nitrile vibrational frequencies (ν(C≡N)). By coupling pulse radiolysis and time-resolved infrared spectroscopy (PR-TRIR), we measured ν(C≡N) IR bands of 30 para - and meta -substituted benzonitriles bearing C-, N-, and S-centered radicals. A linear scaling relationship was obtained between these experimental values and values obtained from DFT calculations. Using these computed values, two different Hammett constants, σ m , and σ p + , were determined for a series of C-, N-, O-, S-, Si-, and B-centered radicals. The differences between σm and σp+ values enable the separate evaluation of inductive and resonance effects in these open-shell substituents. The results suggest that there are three classes of radicals: one is electron withdrawing (σ m , σ p + > 0), one is electron donating (σm, σp+ < 0), and one is inductively withdrawing but resonance donating (σ m > 0, σ p + < 0). Our study represents a general approach to the analysis of the electronic properties of open-shell species and has potential applications in a wide range of molecular processes involving free radical intermediates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electromagnetic observables of open-shell nuclei from coupled-cluster theory

Here we develop a new method to describe electromagnetic observables of open-shell nuclei with two nucleons outside a closed shell. This approach combines the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method for such systems and the Lorentz integral transform technique, expanding the applicability of coupled-cluster theory for electromagnetic observables beyond closed-(sub)shell nuclei. To validate this new approach, we compute the non-energy-weighted dipole sum rule and the dipole polarizability of 16,24 ⁢O in both the closed-(sub)shell and the new equation-of-motion coupled-cluster frameworks, finding agreement within error bars. We then analyze the evolution of the dipole polarizability along the oxygen and calcium isotopic chains. Our predictions agree well with available experimental data and other available theoretical calculations for the closed-(sub)shell 16,22 ⁢O and the open-shell 18 O. In the calcium isotopes, we observe that our dipole polarizability predictions for open-shell nuclei are lower than those of closed-(sub)shell nuclei. We expect that our predictions for 24 O and 54,56 ⁢Ca will motivate future experimental studies at the drip line.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Open-shell coupled-cluster theory

An efficient formulation of a recently proposed open-shell singles and doubles coupled-cluster (OCCSD) method is presented. This formulation is in terms of spatial orbital one- and two-electron integrals. Our new OCCSD method is based on 'symmetric spin orbitals' and is thus symmetric (or antisymmetric) in the spin indices. It therefore contains about half the number of independent parameters in the coupled-cluster wave function compared to other open-shell CCSD methods. It is shown that the formulation presented here contains less than half the number of n exp 6 steps (where n is the number of molecular orbitals) of other recently proposed open-shell CCSD methods. A new approach by which amplitudes in our method may be compared with amplitudes in a previous OCCSD method is examined.

Jayatilaka, Dylan↗
DOE OSTI2026

Design Rules for Open-Shell Molecular Wires: Insights from Correlated Many-Body Transport

Open-shell π-conjugated systems have emerged as promising molecular wires that can sustain unusually high low-bias conductance over tens of nanometers. However, predictive design rules remain limited because near-degeneracy and spin polarization give rise to correlated electronic states that are not reliably captured by standard density functional theory and Landauer transport descriptions. Here, we establish physically transparent design rules for long-range, weakly length-dependent charge transport based on the interplay between bond-length alternation and electron–electron interactions. Using a fully correlated transport framework that combines density matrix renormalization group calculations with nonequilibrium Green’s function embedding, we show that weak dimerization maintains spatially extended edge states, while moderate on-site interaction stabilizes open-shell character without excessively separating transport-relevant resonances. This balance yields zero-bias transmission that is largely insensitive to molecular length, providing a route to connect chemically tunable structure to correlated transport beyond mean-field descriptions.

Charge transport↗
NASA NTRS2002

Comparison of the T(sub 1) and D(sub 1) Diagnostics: A New Definition for the Open-Shell D(sub 1) Diagnostic

It is shown that the T(sub 1) operator used in a previous study to define the open-shell D(sub 1) diagnostic is invalid, and leads to an arbitrary definition of the open-shell D(sub 1) diagnostic. A new definition is proposed that eliminates this ambiguity and approximately restores the mathematical relationship previously noted between the closed-shell D(sub 1) and T(sub 1) diagnostics. Statistical comparison of the T(sub 1) and D(sub 1) diagnostics shows a very high degree of correlation between them, although it is argued that both diagnostics used together can provide more information than either can separately.

Lee, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The form of spin orbitals for open-shell restricted Hartree-Fock reference functions

A new set of spin orbitals is proposed for single-reference correlation procedures based on an open-shell restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) reference function. The spatial parts of the new spin orbitals are from an open-shell RHF calculation. These spin orbitals form a complete, orthonormal set. The RHF single determinant based on these spin orbitals is an S sub 2 eigenfunction, but a linear combination of S sub z eigenfunctions. The advantage of these spin orbitals is that equations for perturbation theory or coupled-cluster theory are symmetric in the spin indices and hence the number of independent parameters to be determined is dramatically reduced.

Jayatilaka, Dylan↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exact and Model Exchange-Correlation Potentials for Open-Shell Systems

The conventional approaches to the inverse density functional theory problem typically assume nondegeneracy of the Kohn–Sham (KS) eigenvalues, greatly hindering their use in open-shell systems. Here, we present a generalization of the inverse density functional theory problem that can seamlessly admit degenerate KS eigenvalues. Additionally, we allow for fractional occupancy of the Kohn–Sham orbitals to also handle noninteracting ensemble-v-representable densities, as opposed to just noninteracting pure-v-representable densities. We present the exact exchange-correlation (XC) potentials for six open-shell systems–four atoms (Li, C, N, and O) and two molecules (CN and CH 2 )–using accurate ground-state densities from configuration interaction calculations. We compare these exact XC potentials with model XC potentials obtained using nonlocal (B3LYP, SCAN0) and local/semilocal (SCAN, PBE, PW92) XC functionals. Although the relative errors in the densities obtained from these DFT functionals are of $O$(10 –3 to 10 –2 ), the relative errors in the model XC potentials remain substantially large–$O$(10 –1 to 10 0 ).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1995

Recent Advances in Open-Shell Perturbation Theory and Coupled-Cluster Theory

Comparisons of various recently developed open-shell RHF perturbation theories will be presented. Among the aspects considered are spin-contamination, computational cost, and quality of numerical results. In addition, a new approach to avoid the disk storage and I/O bottlenecks in large scale coupled-cluster calculations will be discussed.

Lee, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An open-shell restricted Hartree-Fock perturbation theory based on symmetric spin orbitals

A new open-shell perturbation theory is formulated in terms of symmetric spin orbitals. Only one set of spatial orbitals is required, thereby reducing the number of independent coefficients in the perturbed wavefunctions. For second order, the computational cost is shown to be similar to a closed-shell calculation. This formalism is therefore more efficient than the recently developed RMP, ROMP or RMP-MBPT theories. The perturbation theory described herein was designed to have a close correspondence with our recently proposed coupled-cluster theory based on symmetric spin orbitals. The first-order wavefunction contains contributions from only doubly excited determinants. Equilibrium structures and vibrational frequencies determined from second-order perturbation theory are presented for OH, NH, CH, 02, NH2 and CH2.

Lee, Timothy J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Structure and dynamics of open-shell nuclei from spherical coupled-cluster theory

We extend the spherical coupled-cluster ab initio method for open-shell nuclei where two nucleons are removed from a shell subclosure. Following the recent implementation of the two-particle-attached approach [Phys. Rev. C 110, 044306 (2024)], we focus on the two-particle-removed method. Using the equations-of-motion framework, we address both nuclear structure and dipole response functions by coupling coupled-cluster theory with the Lorentz integral transform technique. We perform calculations using chiral interactions, including three-nucleon forces, and estimate many-body uncertainties by comparing different coupled-cluster truncation schemes. Here, we validate our approach by studying ground-state energies, excited states, and electric dipole polarizabilities in the oxygen and calcium isotopic chains. For binding energies and selected low-lying excited states, we achieve an accuracy comparable to that of the established closed-shell coupled-cluster theory and generally agree with experiment. Finally, we underestimate experimental data for electric dipole polarizabilities, particularly in calcium isotopes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Long-Range Resonant Charge Transport through Open-Shell Donor–Acceptor Macromolecules

A grand challenge in molecular electronics is the development of molecular materials that can facilitate efficient longrange charge transport. Research spanning more than two decades has been fueled by the prospects of creating a new generation of miniaturized electronic technologies based on molecules whose synthetic tunability offers tailored electronic properties and functions unattainable with conventional electronic materials. However, current design paradigms produce molecules that exhibit off-resonant transport under low bias, which limits the conductance of molecular materials to unsatisfactorily low levels several orders of magnitude below the conductance quantum 1 G 0 and often results in an exponential decay in conductance with length. Here, we demonstrate a chemically robust, air-stable, and highly tunable molecular wire platform comprised of open-shell donor−acceptor macromolecules that exhibit remarkably high conductance close to 1 G 0 over a length surpassing 20 nm under low bias, with no discernible decay with length. Single-molecule transport measurements and ab initio calculations show that the ultralong-range resonant transport arises from extended π-conjugation, a narrow bandgap, and diradical character, which synergistically enables excellent alignment of frontier molecular orbitals with the electrode Fermi energy. The implementation of this long-sought-after transport regime within molecular materials offers new opportunities for the integration of manifold properties within emerging nanoelectronic technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development of New Open-Shell Perturbation and Coupled-Cluster Theories Based on Symmetric Spin Orbitals

A new spin orbital basis is employed in the development of efficient open-shell coupled-cluster and perturbation theories that are based on a restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) reference function. The spin orbital basis differs from the standard one in the spin functions that are associated with the singly occupied spatial orbital. The occupied orbital (in the spin orbital basis) is assigned the delta(+) = 1/square root of 2(alpha+Beta) spin function while the unoccupied orbital is assigned the delta(-) = 1/square root of 2(alpha-Beta) spin function. The doubly occupied and unoccupied orbitals (in the reference function) are assigned the standard alpha and Beta spin functions. The coupled-cluster and perturbation theory wave functions based on this set of "symmetric spin orbitals" exhibit much more symmetry than those based on the standard spin orbital basis. This, together with interacting space arguments, leads to a dramatic reduction in the computational cost for both coupled-cluster and perturbation theory. Additionally, perturbation theory based on "symmetric spin orbitals" obeys Brillouin's theorem provided that spin and spatial excitations are both considered. Other properties of the coupled-cluster and perturbation theory wave functions and models will be discussed.

Lee, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Photoionization cross sections for atomic chlorine using an open-shell random phase approximation

The use of the Random Phase Approximation with Exchange (RPAE) for calculating partial and total photoionization cross sections and photoelectron angular distributions for open shell atoms is examined for atomic chlorine. Whereas the RPAE corrections in argon (Z=18) are large, it is found that those in chlorine (Z=17) are much smaller due to geometric factors. Hartree-Fock calculations with and without core relaxation are also presented. Sizable deviations from the close coupling results of Conneely are also found.

Starace, A. F.↗
DOE OSTI2024

On‐Surface Synthesis and Determination of the Open‐Shell Singlet Ground State of Tridecacene**

Abstract The character of the electronic structure of acenes has been the subject of longstanding discussion. However, convincing experimental evidence of their open‐shell character has so far been missing. Here, we present the on‐surface synthesis of tridecacene molecules by thermal annealing of octahydrotridecacene on a Au(111) surface. We characterized the electronic structure of the tridecacene by scanning probe microscopy, which reveals the presence of an inelastic signal at 126 meV. We attribute the inelastic signal to spin excitation from the singlet diradical ground state to the triplet excited state. To rationalize the experimental findings, we carried out many‐body ab initio calculations as well as model Hamiltonians to take into account the effect of the metallic substrate. Moreover, we provide a detailed analysis of how the dynamic electron correlation and virtual charge fluctuation between the molecule and metallic surface reduces the singlet‐triplet band gap. Thus, this work provides the first experimental confirmation of the magnetic character of tridecacene.

Chemistry↗