High-Dimensional Operator Learning for Molecular Density Functional Theory

Abstract

Classical density functional theory (cDFT) provides a systematic approach to predict the structure and thermodynamic properties of chemical systems through the single-molecule density profiles. Whereas the statistical-mechanical framework is theoretically rigorous, its practical applications are often constrained by challenges in formulating a reliable free-energy functional and the complexity of solving multidimensional integro-differential equations. In this work, we established an optimized operator learning method that effectively separates the high-dimensional molecular density profile into two lower-dimensional components, thereby exponentially reducing the vast input space. The convoluted operator learning network demonstrates exceptional learning capabilities, accurately mapping the relationship between the density profile of a carbon dioxide system to its one-body direct correlation function using an atomistic polarizable model. The neural operator model can be generalized to more complex systems, offering high-precision cDFT calculations at low computational cost.