Workshop on Quantum Theory: Foundations and Extensions of Density-Functional Theory
The OsloMet Quantum Hub and the REGAL project are happy to announce a workshop on the mathematical aspects of density-functional theory (DFT). The workshop will take place at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), campus Pilestredet, from the 2nd to the 6th of December 2024.
Presentation slides
The slides from several of the talks given during the workshop are available on GitHub.
Book of Abstracts
Online version (last updated 1st of December) available here.
Schedule
Preliminary schedule (last updated 30th of November).
Please note that the allotted time for each talk, including time for questions, is indicated in minutes. The chairs for each session displayed at the beginning of each session.
Participants
A list of confirmed participants can be found here, and will be continuously updated. The workshop currently has about 30 confirmed participants.
Abstract
The workshop will focus on the mathematical foundations and recent extensions of density-functional theory (DFT), a prime method for computational quantum-mechanical modelling. The increased use of DFT in physical situations where electrons couple to quantized electromagnetic fields requires a thorough revision of the foundations of the theory. Moreover, the application to model settings — commonly employed to describe light-matter interactions — revealed new properties of the theory that remain to be studied in detail. Furthermore, many practical uses of DFT rely heavily on approximations to the universal density functional. One avenue for evaluating new functional approximations is to solve the so-called inverse problem, that is the problem of retrieving the potential of a system given its electronic density. Such approaches are typically referred to as density-potential inversion schemes and are significantly less studied than the forward problems such as the Kohn–Sham scheme. Combined with the fact that efficient and stable implementations of density-potential inversion algorithms are largely lacking, this problem is of both fundamental and practical importance to DFT. All these topics pose interesting mathematical as well as numerical challenges that are of great relevance across multiple disciplines such as solid-state physics, quantum chemistry, and quantum optics. The workshop thus aims at bringing together researchers working on these and adjacent subjects in order to advance the applicability of DFT in both novel and established domains.
Venue
The workshop will be held at OsloMet in Ellen Gleditschs hus (P35) located centrally in Oslo. To access the building, please use the revolving doors facing Holbergs Plass as the other doors might be locked. Most of the event will consist of talks in room PI460, located on the 4th floor. To access the room, please follow the stairs by the glass elevators in the middle of the building, see also the Mazemap.
The morning sessions on Wednesday (4th) and Thursday (5th) will be held in room PI646, located on the 6th floor in P35. To access the room, please follow the stairs by the glass elevators in the middle of the building, see also the Mazemap.
Contact
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the organisers.