Iterative variational approach to finite many-body systems

A procedure is discussed that searches for the best description of the eigenstates of a Hamiltonian of a finite quantum many-body system in terms of a selected set of physically relevant configurations. The procedure resorts to iterative sequences of diagonalizations in spaces of very reduced size. Each diagonalization provides an energy-based importance measure that governs the selection of the configurations to be included in the states. The procedure is strictly variational and preserves the symmetries of the Hamiltonian throughout the iterative process. We report on some test applications to the Na-8 metal cluster. A series of calculations is performed on a Hartree-Fock basis for a number of orbitals ranging from 5 to 20. In the case of 5 (10) orbitals, we compare the low-lying spectra generated with our procedure to complete (truncated) configuration interaction calculations. The procedure accurately reproduces the results in the complete space. In the most complex cases of 15 and 20 orbitals (the latter involving a many-particle space of 10(11) states), we construct the ground state and study its structure. The analysis highlights the efficiency of the method in generating the most appropriate model space for the description of individual eigenstates of the Hamiltonian.