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Paper   IPM / Nano-Sciences / 17189
School of Nano Science
  Title:   Two-component density functional theory for muonic molecules: Inclusion of the electron-positive muon correlation functional
  Author(s): 
1.  Mohammad Goli
2.  Shant Shahbazian
  Status:   Published
  Journal: The Journal of Chemical Physcis
  Year:  2022
  Supported by:  IPM
  Abstract:
It is well-known experimentally that the positively charged muon and the muonium atom may bind to molecules and solids, and through muons magnetic interaction with unpaired electrons, valuable information on the local environment surrounding the muon is deduced. Theoretical understanding of the structure and properties of resulting muonic species requires accurate and efficient quantum mechanical computational methodologies. In this paper, the two-component density functional theory (TC-DFT), as a first principles method, which treats electrons and the positive muon on an equal footing as quantum particles, is introduced and implemented computationally. The main ingredient of this theory, apart from the electronic exchange-correlation functional, is the electron positive muon correlation functional that is foreign to the purely electronic DFT. A Wigner-type local electron-positive muon correlation functional, termed emc-1, is proposed in this paper and its capability is demonstrated through its computational application to a benchmark set of muonic organic molecules. The TC-DFT equations containing emc-1 are not only capable of predicting the muons binding site correctly, but they also reproduce muons zero-point vibrational energies and the muonic densities much more accurately than the TC-DFT equations lacking emc-1. Thus, this study sets the stage for developing accurate electron positive muon functionals, which can be used within the context of the TC-DFT to elucidate the intricate interaction of the positive muon with complex molecular systems.

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