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Main Authors: Barlini, Alberto, Bloino, Julien, Koch, Henrik, Giovannini, Tommaso
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09790
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author Barlini, Alberto
Bloino, Julien
Koch, Henrik
Giovannini, Tommaso
author_facet Barlini, Alberto
Bloino, Julien
Koch, Henrik
Giovannini, Tommaso
contents We present a general computational protocol for the evaluation of extensive molecular response properties in complex environments within a polarizable quantum embedding framework. The approach extends multilevel density functional theory (MLDFT) to response theory by formulating the coupled-perturbed Kohn-Sham (CPKS) equations for the MLDFT Hamiltonian. The method is further coupled to an additional polarizable molecular mechanics layer based on the fluctuating-charge (FQ) force field, which allows an accurate yet computationally efficient description of long-range interactions. We apply this new protocol to compute static and frequency-dependent linear polarizabilities and first hyperpolarizabilities of para-nitroaniline (PNA) in 1,4-dioxane and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) in aqueous solution. The framework enables physicochemical insight into solute-solvent interactions by disentangling the competing roles of electrostatics, mutual polarization, and quantum confinement (Pauli repulsion). The results match available experiments, demonstrating the reliability and robustness of the proposed approach and providing a viable route for response properties within quantum embedding methods.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_09790
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Multilevel DFT Response Theory
Barlini, Alberto
Bloino, Julien
Koch, Henrik
Giovannini, Tommaso
Chemical Physics
We present a general computational protocol for the evaluation of extensive molecular response properties in complex environments within a polarizable quantum embedding framework. The approach extends multilevel density functional theory (MLDFT) to response theory by formulating the coupled-perturbed Kohn-Sham (CPKS) equations for the MLDFT Hamiltonian. The method is further coupled to an additional polarizable molecular mechanics layer based on the fluctuating-charge (FQ) force field, which allows an accurate yet computationally efficient description of long-range interactions. We apply this new protocol to compute static and frequency-dependent linear polarizabilities and first hyperpolarizabilities of para-nitroaniline (PNA) in 1,4-dioxane and 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) in aqueous solution. The framework enables physicochemical insight into solute-solvent interactions by disentangling the competing roles of electrostatics, mutual polarization, and quantum confinement (Pauli repulsion). The results match available experiments, demonstrating the reliability and robustness of the proposed approach and providing a viable route for response properties within quantum embedding methods.
title Multilevel DFT Response Theory
topic Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.09790