Electron momentum distributions from valence-bond wave functions

Abstract

Momentum densities obtained from the Heitler-London (HL) wave functions for diatomic molecules and those from the corresponding valence-bond (VB) wave functions including ionic terms are compared. In each case they shown maxima in the direction perpendicular to the bond. However, the dependence of momentum densities on mutual orientations of the two electronic momenta is quite complex in the latter case. The improvement in the Compton profile on including the ionic terms is illustrated with the example of H₂. The momentum denmsities obtained from the VB wave function constructed from orthogonalized atomic orbitals (OAO) have also been examined. The HL wave function with OAOS leads to the same momentum distribution as the repulsive state HL wave function constructed from overlapping AOS.