The role of the CI expansion length in time-dependent studies

With the recent advances in experimental attosecond science, theoretical predictions of electron dynamics can now be validated against experiment. Time-dependent studies of the electron motion in molecules can be used to obtain information about electronic transitions and the interaction of the electrons with electromagnetic fields. Often, these approaches rely on single-excited wave functions. Presented here is a first attempt to evaluate the accuracy of the time-dependent configuration interaction method so that the optimal representation of the electronic wave function for time-dependent studies can be assessed. A quantifier is determined that can aid in finding this optimal representation. The approach is demonstrated on a variety of molecules that include both localized and intramolecular charge transfer electron excitations. Observables including excitation energies, dipole moments, strengths, and static polarizabilities are obtained from time-independent and time-dependent calculations and are compared to experimental data. In this way, a rigorous routine is developed by which the reliability and accuracy of the CI wave function can be assessed and which represents a first step to a more quantitative description of electron dynamics in molecules.