Energy density functional (EDF) approaches have become over the past twenty years a powerful framework to study the structure and reactions of atomic nuclei. This book gives an updated presentation of non-relativistic and covariant energy functionals, single- and multi-reference methods, and techniques to describe small- and large-amplitude collective motion or nuclei at high excitation energy. Edited by an expert in energy density functional theory, Dr Nicolas Schunck, alongside several experts within the field, this book provides a comprehensive and informative exploration of EDF methods. Detailed derivations, practical approaches, examples and figures are used throughout the book to give a coherent narrative of topics that have hitherto rarely been covered together.

This book aims to provide a detailed introduction to the state-of-the-art covariant density functional theory, which follows the Lorentz invariance from the very beginning and is able to describe nuclear many-body quantum systems microscopically and self-consistently. Covariant density functional theory was introduced in nuclear physics in the 1970s and has since been developed and used to describe the diversity of nuclear properties and phenomena with great success.In order to provide an advanced and updated textbook of covariant density functional theory for graduate students and nuclear physics researchers, this book summarizes the enormous amount of material that has accumulated in the field of covariant density functional theory over the last few decades as well as the latest developments in this area. Moreover, the book contains enough details for readers to follow the formalism and theoretical results, and provides exhaustive references to explore the research literature.

This book summarizes the enormous amount of material accumulated in the field of nuclear density functional theory over the last few decades. The goal of the theory is to provide a complete quantum mechanical description and explanation of nuclear phenomena in terms of the local density distribution as a basic ingredient rather than the many particle wavefunction. This leads to a considerable reduction in the mathematical complexity of nuclear many-body problems and to a great conceptual simplicity and visual clarity in its theoretical treatment. The authors develop the mathematical framework on which the theory is based and consider the associated approaches used to analyze experimental data in a variety of nuclei and nuclear processes with widely differing properties.

Demonstrates how anyone in math, science, and engineering can master DFT calculations Density functional theory (DFT) is one of the most frequently used computational tools for studying and predicting the properties of isolated molecules, bulk solids, and material interfaces, including surfaces. Although the theoretical underpinnings of DFT are quite complicated, this book demonstrates that the basic concepts underlying the calculations are simple enough to be understood by anyone with a background in chemistry, physics, engineering, or mathematics. The authors show how the widespread availability of powerful DFT codes makes it possible for students and researchers to apply this important computational technique to a broad range of fundamental and applied problems. Density Functional Theory: A Practical Introduction offers a concise, easy-to-follow introduction to the key concepts and practical applications of DFT, focusing on plane-wave DFT. The authors have many years of experience introducing DFT to students from a variety of backgrounds. The book therefore offers several features that have proven to be helpful in enabling students to master the subject, including: Problem sets in each chapter that give readers the opportunity to test their knowledge by performing their own calculations Worked examples that demonstrate how DFT calculations are used to solve real-world problems Further readings listed in each chapter enabling readers to investigate specific topics in greater depth This text is written at a level suitable for individuals from a variety of scientific, mathematical, and engineering backgrounds. No previous experience working with DFT calculations is needed.

Predicting molecular structure and energy and explaining the nature of bonding are central goals in quantum chemistry. With this book, the editors assert that the density functional (DF) method satisfies these goals and has come into its own as an advanced method of computational chemistry. The wealth of applications presented in the book, ranging from solid state sys tems and polymers to organic and organo-metallic molecules, metallic clus ters, and biological complexes, prove that DF is becoming a widely used computational tool in chemistry. Progress in the methodology and its imple mentation documented by the contributions in this book demonstrate that DF calculations are both accurate and efficient. In fact, the results of DF calculations may pleasantly surprise many chem ists. Even the simplest approximation of DF, the local spin density method (LSD), yields molecular structures typical of ab initio correlated methods. The next level of theory, the nonlocal spin density method, predicts the energies of molecular processes within a few kcallmol or less. Like the Hartree-Fock (HF) and configuration interaction (CI) methods, the DF method is based only on fundamental physical constants. Therefore, it does not require semiempirical parameters and can be applied to any molecular system and to metallic phases. However, DF's greatest advantage is that it can be applied to much larger systems than those approachable by tradition al ab initio methods, especially when compared with correlated ab initio methods.