Electronic correlation without double counting via a combination of spin projected Hartree-Fock and density functional theories

Abstract

Several schemes to avoid the double counting of correlations in methods that merge multireference wavefunctions with density functional theory (DFT) are studied and here adapted to a combination of spin-projected Hartree-Fock (SUHF) and DFT. The advantages and limitations of the new method, denoted SUHF+fcDFT, are explored through calculations on benchmark sets in which the accounting of correlations is challenging for pure SUHF or DFT. It is shown that SUHF+fcDFT can greatly improve the description of certain molecular properties (e.g., singlet-triplet energy gaps) which are not improved by simple addition of DFT dynamical correlation to SUHF. However, SUHF+fcDFT is also shown to have difficulties dissociating certain types of bonds and describing highly charged ions with static correlation. Possible improvements to the current SUHF+fcDFT scheme are discussed in light of these results.