Excited states in auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Mahajan, Ankit, Sharma, Sandeep, Zhang, Shiwei, Reichman, David R.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Mahajan, Ankit
Sharma, Sandeep
Zhang, Shiwei
Reichman, David R.
author_facet Mahajan, Ankit
Sharma, Sandeep
Zhang, Shiwei
Reichman, David R.
contents We systematically investigate the calculation of excited states in quantum chemistry using auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC). Symmetry allows targeting of the lowest triplet excited states in AFQMC based on restricted open-shell determinants, effectively as a ground-state calculation. For open-shell singlet states, excited state calculations can be stabilized with the appropriate trial states, but their quality can have a larger effect on the accuracy in AFQMC. We find that active space-based configuration interaction trial states are often not sufficient to obtain accurate results. We instead use truncated equation of motion coupled cluster with single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD) as trial states. We benchmark the performance of these calculations on a set of small and medium molecules and polyacenes, focusing on predominantly single excitations. We find that the AFQMC results, obtained at a per-sample cost scaling of $O(N^6)$, are systematically more accurate than those obtained using EOM-CCSD, reducing excitation energy errors by approximately half for open-shell singlets. In regimes where EOM-CC triples are impractical, these results position AFQMC as a scalable, higher-accuracy complement for low-lying excited states.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_11616
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Excited states in auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo
Mahajan, Ankit
Sharma, Sandeep
Zhang, Shiwei
Reichman, David R.
Chemical Physics
We systematically investigate the calculation of excited states in quantum chemistry using auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC). Symmetry allows targeting of the lowest triplet excited states in AFQMC based on restricted open-shell determinants, effectively as a ground-state calculation. For open-shell singlet states, excited state calculations can be stabilized with the appropriate trial states, but their quality can have a larger effect on the accuracy in AFQMC. We find that active space-based configuration interaction trial states are often not sufficient to obtain accurate results. We instead use truncated equation of motion coupled cluster with single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD) as trial states. We benchmark the performance of these calculations on a set of small and medium molecules and polyacenes, focusing on predominantly single excitations. We find that the AFQMC results, obtained at a per-sample cost scaling of $O(N^6)$, are systematically more accurate than those obtained using EOM-CCSD, reducing excitation energy errors by approximately half for open-shell singlets. In regimes where EOM-CC triples are impractical, these results position AFQMC as a scalable, higher-accuracy complement for low-lying excited states.
title Excited states in auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo
topic Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.11616