Measuring Density-Driven Errors Using Kohn–Sham Inversion

Kohn–Sham (KS) inversion, that is, the finding of the exact KS potential for a given density, is difficult in localized basis sets. We study the precision and reliability of several inversion schemes, finding estimates of density-driven errors at a useful level of accuracy. In typical cases of substantial density-driven errors, Hartree–Fock density functional theory (HF-DFT) is almost as accurate as DFT evaluated on CCSD(T) densities. A simple approximation in practical HF-DFT also makes errors much smaller than the density-driven errors being calculated. Two paradigm examples, stretched NaCl and the HO·Cl– radical, illustrate just how accurate HF-DFT is.