Intruder state
Encyclopedia
In quantum
and theoretical chemistry
, an intruder state is a particular situation arising in perturbative evaluations
, where the energy of the perturbers is comparable in magnitude to the energy associated to the zero order wavefunction. In this case, a divergent behavior occurs, due to the nearly zero denominator in the expression of the perturbative correction.
Quantum chemistry
Quantum chemistry is a branch of chemistry whose primary focus is the application of quantum mechanics in physical models and experiments of chemical systems...
and theoretical chemistry
Theoretical chemistry
Theoretical chemistry seeks to provide theories that explain chemical observations. Often, it uses mathematical and computational methods that, at times, require advanced knowledge. Quantum chemistry, the application of quantum mechanics to the understanding of valency, is a major component of...
, an intruder state is a particular situation arising in perturbative evaluations
Perturbation theory (quantum mechanics)
In quantum mechanics, perturbation theory is a set of approximation schemes directly related to mathematical perturbation for describing a complicated quantum system in terms of a simpler one. The idea is to start with a simple system for which a mathematical solution is known, and add an...
, where the energy of the perturbers is comparable in magnitude to the energy associated to the zero order wavefunction. In this case, a divergent behavior occurs, due to the nearly zero denominator in the expression of the perturbative correction.