Capturing electron correlation at mean-field cost: Assessment of i-DMFT and the underlying correlation conjecture

Abstract

Accurately treating strong electron correlation in quantum chemistry typically requires multireference wave function methods with steep computational scaling. The recently proposed i-DMFT method promises near configuration–interaction accuracy at mean-field cost by invoking an empirical linear relation between correlation energy and entropy (Collins’ conjecture), whose validity remains unclear. We systematically assess this relation across a range of di- and polyatomic molecules, including diverse bond types, third-row elements, different types of geometric distortions, and excited states. We find that the conjectured linearity holds for bond-breaking processes dominated by electron redistribution within orbital pairs but breaks down for heterolytic dissociation and excited states. In simple molecules, i-DMFT provides a reasonable description of total energies but does not reliably reproduce reduced density matrices or individual energy components. It further degrades in more complex cases, such as ethylene. Based on these results, we formulate criteria for the validity of the conjecture and outline implications for entropy-based reduced density matrix functionals.