Nonadiabatic exchange-correlation kernel for strongly correlated materials

Abstract

We formulate a rigorous method for calculating a nonadiabatic (frequency-dependent) exchange-correlation (XC) kernel required for correct description of both equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties of strongly correlated systems within Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT). To do so we use the expression for charge susceptibility provided by Dynamical Mean Field Theory (DMFT) for the effective multi-orbital Hubbard Model. We tested our formalism by applying it to the one-band Hubbard model: our nonadiabatic kernel leads to a significant modification of the excitation spectrum, shifting the peak that appears in adiabatic (simplified) solutions and disclosing a new one, in agreement with the DMFT solution. We also used our method to track the nonequilibrium charge-density response of a multi-orbital perovskite Mott insulator, YTiO3, to a perturbation by a femtosecond (fs) laser pulse. The results were quite different from those provided by the corresponding adiabatic formalism. These initial investigations indicate that electron-electron correlations and nonadiabatic features can significantly affect the spectrum and nonequilibrium properties of strongly correlated systems.