BZ Seminar in Analysis: Mathieu Lewin (Paris Dauphine)

The Local Density Approximation in Density Functional Theory

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is the main method used in practical computations to approximate solutions of the many-body Schrödinger equation. The main idea is to express everything in terms of the one-particle density instead of the many-body wave function. The Local Density Approximation (LDA) is the simplest nonlinear functional used in this context and it has played a central role in the construction of better empirical approximations since the 60s.

In this talk I will first explain what DFT and LDA are. I will then give the first rigorous justification of the LDA. More precisely, I will show that the exact Levy-Lieb functional of DFT converges to the LDA in the limit of very flat densities. Joint work with Elliott H. Lieb (Princeton) and Robert Seiringer (IST Austria).

Veranstaltung übernehmen als iCal