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Published on: April 12, 2019
pyVPT2: Interoperable software for anharmonic vibrational frequency calculations
Philip M Nelson1, C David Sherrill1
1Center for Computational Molecular Science and Technology, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and School of Computational Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0400, USA.
We present pyVPT2, a new Python program for calculating anharmonic vibrational frequencies using second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2). This tool enhances computational chemistry by enabling VPT2 on quantum chemistry programs that previously lacked this capability.
Area of Science:
- Computational chemistry
- Quantum chemistry
- Molecular modeling
Background:
- Anharmonic vibrational frequencies provide crucial insights into molecular dynamics and spectroscopy.
- Second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2) is a standard method for calculating these frequencies.
- Existing quantum chemistry software may lack built-in VPT2 capabilities, limiting accessibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce pyVPT2, a Python program designed to compute anharmonic vibrational frequencies using VPT2.
- To enable the use of VPT2 calculations with quantum chemistry programs that do not natively support it.
- To streamline the process of obtaining anharmonic frequencies through automated computations.
Main Methods:
- Development of pyVPT2 as a Python-based computational tool.
- Integration with QCEngine and MolSSI's QCFractal for quantum chemistry program interfacing and distributed-parallel computations.
- Automated execution of single point energy, gradient, and Hessian calculations.
Main Results:
- Successful implementation of pyVPT2 for VPT2 anharmonic frequency computations.
- Demonstrated ability to utilize various quantum chemistry programs interfaced with QCEngine.
- Facilitated distributed-parallel execution of necessary computational steps.
Conclusions:
- pyVPT2 expands the accessibility of VPT2 anharmonic frequency calculations.
- The program enhances the utility of quantum chemistry software by adding VPT2 capabilities.
- This work advances computational spectroscopy by providing a flexible and automated tool.
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