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Path Integral Study Of The Correlated Electronic States Of Na4–Na6, Randall W. Hall Jan 1990

Path Integral Study Of The Correlated Electronic States Of Na4–Na6, Randall W. Hall

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Feynman’s path integral formulation of quantum mechanics is used to study the correlated electronic states of Na4–Na6. Two types of simulations are performed: in the first, the nuclei are allowed to move at finite temperature in order to find the most stable geometries. In agreement with previous calculations, we find that planar structures are the most stable and that there is significant vibrational amplitude at finite temperatures, indicating that the Born–Oppenheimer surface is relatively flat. In the second type of simulation, the nuclei are held fixed at symmetric and asymmetric geometries and the correlated electron density is found. Our results …


The Exchange Potential In Path Integral Studies: Analytical Justification, Randall W. Hall Jan 1989

The Exchange Potential In Path Integral Studies: Analytical Justification, Randall W. Hall

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

We present analytical justification for our previously described exchange pseudopotential. We show how the fermi quantum partition function can be constructed from the Boltzmann (distinguishable particle) wave functions if the states that correspond to like‐spin electrons occupying the same quantum state are excluded. A class of weighting functions that satisfy this constraint approximately is discussed. Our previous pseudopotential falls under this class. Essentially, our pseudopotential forces the unwanted states to have high energy and, hence, to make negligible contribution to the partition function. Exchange potentials of the form discussed in this article should be useful for studying systems where the …