Coupling all-electron full-potential density functional theory with grid-based continuum embeddings

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Filser, Jakob, Bainglass, Edan, Reuter, Karsten, Andreussi, Oliviero
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866908583058210816
author Filser, Jakob
Bainglass, Edan
Reuter, Karsten
Andreussi, Oliviero
author_facet Filser, Jakob
Bainglass, Edan
Reuter, Karsten
Andreussi, Oliviero
contents Recent advances in continuum embedding models have enabled the incorporation of solvent and electrolyte effects into density functional theory (DFT) simulations of material surfaces, significantly benefiting electrochemistry, catalysis, and other applications. To extend the simulation of diverse systems and properties, the implementation of continuum embedding models into the Environ library adopts a modular programming paradigm, offering a flexible interface for communication with various DFT programs. The speed and scalability of the current implementation rely on a smooth definition of the key physical properties of the atomistic system, in particular of its electronic density. This has hindered the coupling of Environ with all-electron simulation packages, as the sharp electron density peaks near atomic nuclei are difficult to represent on regular grids. In this work, we introduce a novel smoothing scheme that transforms atom-centered electron densities into a regular grid representation while preserving the accuracy of electrostatic calculations. This approach enables a minimal and generic interface, facilitating seamless interoperability between Environ and all-electron DFT programs. We demonstrate this development through the coupling of Environ with the FHI-aims package and present benchmark simulations that validate the proposed method.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_17672
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Coupling all-electron full-potential density functional theory with grid-based continuum embeddings
Filser, Jakob
Bainglass, Edan
Reuter, Karsten
Andreussi, Oliviero
Computational Physics
Recent advances in continuum embedding models have enabled the incorporation of solvent and electrolyte effects into density functional theory (DFT) simulations of material surfaces, significantly benefiting electrochemistry, catalysis, and other applications. To extend the simulation of diverse systems and properties, the implementation of continuum embedding models into the Environ library adopts a modular programming paradigm, offering a flexible interface for communication with various DFT programs. The speed and scalability of the current implementation rely on a smooth definition of the key physical properties of the atomistic system, in particular of its electronic density. This has hindered the coupling of Environ with all-electron simulation packages, as the sharp electron density peaks near atomic nuclei are difficult to represent on regular grids. In this work, we introduce a novel smoothing scheme that transforms atom-centered electron densities into a regular grid representation while preserving the accuracy of electrostatic calculations. This approach enables a minimal and generic interface, facilitating seamless interoperability between Environ and all-electron DFT programs. We demonstrate this development through the coupling of Environ with the FHI-aims package and present benchmark simulations that validate the proposed method.
title Coupling all-electron full-potential density functional theory with grid-based continuum embeddings
topic Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17672