Profiling the binding motif between Be and Mg in the ground state via a single-reference coupled cluster method

Abstract

We present a study on the performance of our iterative triples correction for the coupled cluster singles and doubles excitations (CCSDT-1a+d) method for computation of potential energy surface (PES), spectroscopic constants, and vibrational spectrum for the ground state (X1Σ+) BeMg, where the ostensible inadequacy of the CCSD and CCSD(T) methods is quite expected. We compare our results with those obtained using state-of-the-art multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) investigations reported earlier by Kerkines and Nicolaides. Our estimated dissociation energy (417.37 cm−1), equilibrium distance (3.285 Å), and vibrational frequency (82.32 cm−1) are in good agreement with recent results of advanced MRCI calculations for X1Σ+ BeMg PES, which exhibits a shallow well of 469.4 cm−1 with a minimum at 3.241 Å and a harmonic vibrational frequency of 85.7 cm−1. Very weakly bound nature of X1Σ+ BeMg is clearly reflected from these values. In accord with MRCI studies, a comparison of BeMg with iso-valence weakly bound ground-state species, Be2 and Mg2, suggests that its characteristics do not exhibit any resemblance to Be2 rather, it shows a close kinship to Mg2. The agreement of our derived vibrational levels with those obtained via the high-level MRCI calculations is very encouraging reflecting the potential of the suitably modified single-reference coupled cluster (SRCC) method, CCSDT-1a+d as a tool for the study of multireference van der Waals systems.