Fully optimized implementation of the cluster-in-molecule local correlation approach for electron correlation calculations of large systems.

A fully optimized implementation of the cluster-in-molecule (CIM) local correlation method for faster and more accurate electron correlation calculations of large systems is reported. The speedup comes from the new procedure of constructing virtual localized molecular orbitals of clusters. In the new procedure, Boughton-Pulay projection method is employed instead of a much more expensive Boys localization procedure. In addition, basis set superposition error correction for binding energy calculations and parallelized electron correlation calculations of clusters are now implemented. Benchmark calculations and illustrative applications at the Møller-Plesset perturbation theory, coupled cluster singles and doubles (CCSD), and CCSD with perturbative triples correction levels show that this newly optimized CIM approach is a reliable theoretical tool for electron correlation calculations of various large chemical systems. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.