11.9 Intracules

11.9.1 Position Intracules

The intracule density, I⁢(𝐮), represents the probability for the inter-electronic vector 𝐮=𝐮1-𝐮2:

I⁢(𝐮)=∫ρ⁢(𝐫1⁢𝐫2)⁢δ⁢(𝐫12-𝐮)⁢𝑑𝐫1⁢d⁢𝐫2 (11.19)

where ρ⁢(𝐫1,𝐫2) is the two-electron density. A simpler quantity is the spherically averaged intracule density,

P⁢(u)=∫I⁢(𝐮)⁢d⁢Ω𝐮, (11.20)

where Ω𝐮 is the angular part of 𝐯, measures the probability that two electrons are separated by a scalar distance u=|𝐮|. This intracule is called a position intracule.303 If the molecular orbitals are expanded within a basis set

ψa⁢(𝐫)=∑μcμ⁢a⁢ϕμ⁢(𝐫) (11.21)

The quantity P⁢(u) can be expressed as

P⁢(u)=∑μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σΓμ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ⁢(μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ)P (11.22)

where Γμ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ is the two-particle density matrix and (μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ)P is the position integral

(μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ)P=∫ϕμ∗⁢(𝐫)⁢ϕν⁢(𝐫)⁢ϕλ∗⁢(𝐫+𝐮)⁢ϕσ⁢(𝐫+𝐮)⁢𝑑𝐫⁢𝑑Ω (11.23)

and ϕμ⁢(𝐫), ϕν⁢(𝐫), ϕλ⁢(𝐫) and ϕσ⁢(𝐫) are basis functions. For HF wave functions, the position intracule can be decomposed into a Coulomb component,

PJ⁢(u)=12⁢∑μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σDμ⁢ν⁢Dλ⁢σ⁢(μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ)P (11.24)

and an exchange component,

PK⁢(u)=-12⁢∑μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ[Dμ⁢λα⁢Dν⁢σα+Dμ⁢λβ⁢Dν⁢σβ]⁢(μ⁢ν⁢λ⁢σ)P (11.25)

where Dμ⁢ν etc. are density matrix elements. The evaluation of P⁢(u), PJ⁢(u) and PK⁢(u) within Q-Chem has been described in detail in Ref. 544.

Some of the moments of P⁢(u) are physically significant,307 for example

∫0∞u0⁢P⁢(u)⁢𝑑u = n⁢(n-1)2 (11.26)
∫0∞u0⁢PJ⁢(u)⁢𝑑u = n22 (11.27)
∫0∞u2⁢PJ⁢(u)⁢𝑑u = n⁢Q-μ2 (11.28)
∫0∞u0⁢PK⁢(u)⁢𝑑u = -n2 (11.29)

where n is the number of electrons and, μ is the electronic dipole moment and Q is the trace of the electronic quadrupole moment tensor. Q-Chem can compute both moments and derivatives of position intracules.