Simple and accurate screening parameters for dielectric-dependent hybrids

Abstract

A simple effective screening parameter for screened range-separated hybrid is constructed from the compressibility sum rule in the context of linear-response time-dependent Density Functional Theory. When applied to the dielectric-dependent hybrid (DDH), it becomes remarkably accurate for bulk solids compared to those obtained from fitting with the model dielectric function or depending on the valence electron density of materials. The present construction of the screening parameter is simple and realistic. The screening parameter developed in this way is physically appealing and practically useful as it is straightforward to obtain using the average over the unit cell volume of the bulk solid, bypassing high-level calculations of the dielectric function depending on random-phase approximation. Furthermore, we have obtained a very good accuracy for energy band gaps, positions of the occupied d-bands, ionization potentials, optical properties of semiconductors and insulators, and geometries of bulk solids (equilibrium lattice constants and bulk moduli) from the constructed DDH.