Project description
Lightening the computational load required to predict the properties of heavy materials
Computers have revolutionised our ability to do mathematical computations, delivering significantly enhanced speed and accuracy and accommodating ever more complexity. One of the critical considerations in optimising code is the trade-off between computational 'load' and accuracy. Computational chemistry is no different in this respect. The EU-funded ReReDMFT project is enhancing the algorithms used in computational chemistry. The focus is on important questions in the field of relativistic quantum chemistry related to the elemental properties and structure of heavy elements and thus of novel materials that can be made with them. Scientists are balancing the stringent particularity requirements of accurate approximations with the need to minimise the computational load to deliver freely accessible methodologies that accurately predict the properties of innovative new materials.
Objective
Computational chemistry (CC) methods supply approximate solutions to the Schrödinger equation (SE) and make it possible to compute a wide range of chemical properties. A problem is, however, that the work horse method in CC, Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory, cannot always describe the process of chemical bonds breaking or formation accurately (the errors produced in H2 dissociation are a simple example). Wave function-based methods are more reliable but their computational cost is prohibitive for large systems. Recent advances in reduced density matrix functional theory (RDMFT) have demonstrated the potential of this methodology to treat such non-dynamic electron correlation effects (near degeneracies occurring in bond dissociation) at reasonable computational cost.
In this project I aim to explore RDMFT in an area in which a proper treatment of non-dynamic electron correlation effects is essential: the chemistry of heavy elements. For compounds of such elements, near-degeneracies of electronic energies is the rule rather than the exception, and RDFMT emerges as an excellent alternative in relativistic CC to wave function based and DFT methods . An important complication is the importance of relativistic effects requiring the use of the Dirac equation (DE) instead of the SE. In this project, I will work on transferring RDMFT to this domain by taking the following steps: a) set up the required theoretical background, b) analyze the performance of the currently available RDMFT approximations (for two-component Hamiltonians), c) develop a RDMFT approximation for the DE (four-component Hamiltonian), and d) make this methodology available to the scientific community by implementing it in the DIRAC code. I expect that RDMFT will predict energies accurately for the DE, and it can become a powerful method to predict properties of novel materials formed by heavy elements.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
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