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RPA calculation gives IPA response

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 12:35 pm
by lilian
Dear developers and users,

I have observed what might be a bug in the RPA response, or at least something I don't understand.

The variable B=NGsBlkXd determines the size of the dielectric matrix. So if you increase this value, local field effects are taken into account more and the response should move further away from the IPA response.
However, above a certain value of B, which from my observations is lower than the number of G-vectors (determined by FFTGvecs) and depends on other parameters of the simulation (such as the k-point grid used in nscf), the RPA calculation gives the same result as the IPA one.

See the attached figure below, where B= 311 RL (black line) is the last case to give the RPA response. After this threshold, and from the next possible value (313 RL) all RPA responses are perfectly superimposed on the IPA curve.
plot_RPA_IPA_eels.png
Could you please enlighten me on this behavior, as I don't see any physical sense in the RPA response becoming identical to the IPA response beyond a certain matrix size?

Many thanks in advance!

(I can provide a minimal test upon request)

Re: RPA calculation gives IPA response

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2025 8:36 am
by Daniele Varsano
Dear Lilian,

please note that B=1 RL is not exactly the IP response, but in this case a scalar Dyson equation is solved. The IP is anyway always reported in the output in last column.
Having said that, your results are rather unusual, can you please post the input/output/report files of your calculations?

Best,

Daniele

Re: RPA calculation gives IPA response

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2025 11:17 am
by lilian
Dear Daniele,

Thank you for your answer.
I have attached the inputs, outputs and reports of the three cases shown in the figure in the first post, as well as the QE inputs.

Many thanks in advance!