We review recent advances in the capabilities of the open source ab initio Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) package QMCPACK and the workflow tool Nexus used for greater efficiency and reproducibility. The auxiliary field QMC (AFQMC) implementation has been greatly expanded to include k-point symmetries, tensor-hypercontraction, and accelerated graphical processing unit (GPU) support. These scaling and memory reductions greatly increase the number of orbitals that can practically be included in AFQMC calculations, increasing the accuracy. Advances in real space methods include techniques for accurate computation of bandgaps and for systematically improving the nodal surface of ground state wavefunctions. Results of these calculations can be used to validate application of more approximate electronic structure methods, including GW and density functional based techniques. To provide an improved foundation for these calculations, we utilize a new set of correlation-consistent effective core potentials (pseudopotentials) that are more accurate than previous sets; these can also be applied in quantum-chemical and other many-body applications, not only QMC. These advances increase the efficiency, accuracy, and range of properties that can be studied in both molecules and materials with QMC and QMCPACK.
We present a many-body diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (DMC) study on the ground and excited state properties of crystalline CoO polymorphs. To our knowledge, DMC is the only electronic structure method available to provide correct energetic ordering within experimental error bars between the three CoO polymorphs: Rocksalt, Wurtzite, and Zincblende. We compare these results to density functional theory (DFT) using state-of-the-art functionals such as SCAN. For the structural properties, such as the lattice parameters and bulk moduli, our results are comparable to HSE and SCAN. Using DMC, we calculated the indirect and direct optical gaps as 3.8(2) and 5.2(2) eV. Our indirect optical gap compares well with the conductivity measurements of 3.6(5) eV and GW calculations with 3.4 eV. Similarly, we obtained the DMC indirect and direct quasiparticle gaps as 3.9(2) and 5.5(2) eV. DMC direct quasiparticle gaps compare well with the direct band gap of 5.53 eV obtained from ellipsometry studies.
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