Self-interaction corrections in density functional theory

Self-interaction corrections for Kohn-Sham density functional theory are reviewed for their physical meanings, formulations, and applications. The self-interaction corrections get rid of the self-interaction error, which is the sum of the Coulomb and exchange self-interactions that remains because of the use of an approximate exchange functional. The most frequently used self-interaction correction is the Perdew-Zunger correction. However, this correction leads to instabilities in the electronic state calculations of molecules. To avoid these instabilities, several self-interaction corrections have been developed on the basis of the characteristic behaviors of self-interacting electrons, which have no two-electron interactions. These include the von Weizsäcker kinetic energy and long-range (far-from-nucleus) asymptotic correction. Applications of self-interaction corrections have shown that the self-interaction error has a serious effect on the states of core electrons, but it has a smaller than expected effect on valence electrons. This finding is supported by the fact that the distribution of self-interacting electrons indicates that they are near atomic nuclei rather than in chemical bonds.