The complex coordinate scattering theory and the Kohn variational method: A general formulation and application to long range potentials

The complex coordinate scattering theory for the calculation of T-matrix elements, as was introduced by Engdahl, Moiseyev, and Maniv [J. Chem. Phys. 94, 1636 (1991)] and by Peskin and Moiseyev [J. Chem. Phys. 96, 2347 (1992)], is shown to satisfy the complex version of the Kohn variational principle introduced by Nuttall and Cohen [Phys. Rev. 188, 1542 (1969)]. This theory and the related S-matrix version of the Kohn variational principle, developed by Zhang, Chu, and Miller [J. Chem. Phys. 88, 6233, (1988)] are combined to formulate a generalized variational basis set approach for quantum scattering calculations. In this approach the Kohn variational procedure to optimize the linear parameters in the T matrix is followed by an optimization of the complex nonlinear parameters. This enables the application of the complex coordinate analytical continuation of the T matrix to the calculation of scattering probability amplitudes for long range potentials. Illustrating numerical applications to short and long range potentials are given.