Simplified tuning of long-range corrected density functionals for use in symmetry-adapted perturbation theory

Long considered a failure, second-order symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) based on Kohn-Sham orbitals, or SAPT0(KS), can be resurrected for semiquantitative purposes using long-range corrected density functionals whose asymptotic behavior is adjusted separately for each monomer. As in other contexts, correct asymptotic behavior can be enforced via optimal tuning based on the ionization energy theorem of density functional theory, but the tuning procedure is tedious, expensive for large systems, and comes with a troubling dependence on system size. Here, we show that essentially identical results are obtained using a fast, convenient, and automated tuning procedure based on the size of the exchange hole. In conjunction with extended (X)SAPT methods that improve the description of dispersion, this procedure achieves benchmark-quality interaction energies, along with the usual SAPT energy decomposition, without the hassle of system-specific tuning.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that essentially identical results can be obtained using a fast, convenient, and automated tuning procedure based on the size of the exchange hole. In conjunction with extended (X)SAPT methods that improve the dispersion description, this procedure achieves benchmark-quality interaction energies without the hassle of system-specific tuning.