Excited states from modified coupled cluster methods: Are they any better than EOM CCSD?

Simplifications or modifications of coupled cluster methods such as the CCSD (coupled cluster singles and doubles) model often perform better than the original method in providing the total energy, equilibrium geometries, and harmonic vibration frequencies for the ground state. Three such methods that have been recently proposed include 2CC, parameterized CCSD generalizations, and distinguishable cluster singles and doubles (DCSD) approach. In this paper, we lay the theoretical foundation needed to treat excited states via the equation of motion (EOM) approach using these ground state CC methods. As these ground state approximations to CCSD share its property of being exact for two-electron systems, so will their excited state extensions. These methods are tested for two complementary benchmark sets of excited states for a wide range of organic molecules with focus on singlet and triplet excited states of both valence and Rydberg nature. We also test these methods for doubly excited states, taking CH⁺ as an example to test their performance at equilibrium and stretched bond geometries. Finally, we assess if any of these methods perform consistently better than EOM CCSD.