XTB

References: Grimme2017

Parameters needed to set up the xTB methods [Edit on GitHub]

Keywords

Keyword descriptions

CHECK_ATOMIC_CHARGES

Type: logical
Default: T
Lone keyword: T
Usage: CHECK_ATOMIC_CHARGES T

Description: Stop calculation if atomic charges are outside chemical range.

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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COULOMB_INTERACTION

Type: logical
Default: T
Lone keyword: T
Usage: COULOMB_INTERACTION T

Description: Use Coulomb interaction terms (electrostatics + TB3); for debug only

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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COULOMB_LR

Type: logical
Default: T
Lone keyword: T
Usage: COULOMB_LR T

Description: Use Coulomb LR (1/r) interaction terms; for debug only

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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DO_EWALD

Type: logical
Default: F
Lone keyword: T
Usage: DO_EWALD

Description: Deprecated debug override for the xTB Ewald treatment. By default the setting is inferred from SUBSYS/CELL/PERIODIC. If set to TRUE for CP2K-internal xTB, the DFT/POISSON section must use a periodic Poisson solver. For CP2K/tblite, the periodic long-range treatment is performed inside tblite.

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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Warning

The keyword DO_EWALD is deprecated and may be removed in a future version.

Use SUBSYS/CELL/PERIODIC to select periodicity. DO_EWALD is retained only as a debug override for the CP2K-internal xTB Ewald path.

DO_NONBONDED

Type: logical
Default: F
Lone keyword: T
Usage: DO_NONBONDED T

Description: Controls the computation of real-space (short-range) nonbonded interactions as correction to xTB.

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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EN_SHIFT_TYPE

Type: string
Default: Molecule
Usage: EN_SHIFT_TYPE [Select/Molecule/Crystal]

Description: Shift function for electronegativity in EEQ method. [Select/Molecule/Crystal] Default Select from periodicity.

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EPS_PAIRPOTENTIAL

Type: real
Default: 1.00000000E-010
Usage: EPS_PAIRPOTENTIAL 1.0E-8

Description: Accuracy for the repulsive pair potential.

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GFN_TYPE

Type: enum
Default: 1
Usage: GFN_TYPE (0|1|TBLITE)

Description: Selects the xTB backend. GFN_TYPE 1 uses the CP2K-internal GFN1-xTB implementation. GFN_TYPE 0 uses the CP2K-internal GFN0-xTB implementation, which has no SCC variables to mix, so XTB/SCC_MIXER AUTO is treated as NONE. GFN_TYPE TBLITE uses the tblite backend and requires an XTB/TBLITE section, where the actual tblite method is selected.

Valid values:

  • 0 Use the CP2K-internal GFN0-xTB implementation.

  • 1 Use the CP2K-internal GFN1-xTB implementation.

  • TBLITE Use the CP2K/tblite backend; requires XTB/TBLITE.

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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HYDROGEN_STO_NG

Type: integer
Default: 4
Usage: HYDROGEN_STO_NG 3

Description: Number of GTOs for Hydrogen basis expansion.

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SCC_MIXER

Type: enum
Default: AUTO
Usage: SCC_MIXER (AUTO|TBLITE|CP2K|NONE)

Description: Selects the SCC variable mixer for xTB calculations. AUTO is treated as NONE for CP2K-internal GFN0-xTB, keeps the CP2K charge mixer for CP2K-internal GFN1-xTB, and uses tblite’s native SCC mixer for XTB/GFN_TYPE TBLITE. The SCC variables are the model populations and, where required by the selected method, atomic multipoles that feed the self-consistent xTB potential. TBLITE uses tblite’s modified Broyden mixer for those variables inside the CP2K SCF cycle. CP2K maps the variables onto CP2K’s charge-mixing infrastructure. When TBLITE is active, the native SCC convergence follows XTB/TBLITE/ACCURACY and the tblite-side SCC update limit follows TBLITE_MIXER/ITERATIONS. If SCC_MIXER is explicitly set to TBLITE, CP2K also sets DFT/SCF/MAX_SCF to TBLITE_MIXER/ITERATIONS. With SCC_MIXER AUTO or CP2K, MAX_SCF keeps its normal CP2K meaning. With QS/LS_SCF, explicit SCC_MIXER settings are reset to NONE internally and CP2K emits a warning; LS_SCF controls the density-matrix optimization. When CP2K is active, convergence follows the normal CP2K SCF controls, in particular DFT/SCF/EPS_SCF and DFT/SCF/MIXING. For GFN2/tblite, the CP2K mixer acts on the full SCC-variable set: shell charges plus atomic dipole and quadrupole variables. CP2K-internal GFN0-xTB has no SCC variables to mix, so AUTO and NONE are equivalent there and explicit CP2K or TBLITE mixer choices are reset to NONE. For CP2K-internal GFN1 and DFTB/DFTB3, the SCC variables are only charge or shell-charge like. The initial SCC variables are seeded from CP2K’s current density, so DFT/SCF/SCF_GUESS and DFT/WFN_RESTART_FILE_NAME define the starting point. NONE performs direct updates without mixing and is intended for debugging, since it can be unstable.

Valid values:

  • AUTO Default method-dependent choice.

  • TBLITE Use the tblite modified Broyden SCC mixer.

  • CP2K Use CP2K charge mixing for SCC variables.

  • NONE Do not mix SCC variables; for debugging.

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SPIN_POLARISATION

Type: logical
Default: F
Lone keyword: T
Usage: SPIN_POLARISATION T

Description: Use the spin polarisation Hamiltonian for gfn1/2

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STO_NG

Type: integer
Default: 6
Usage: STO_NG 3

Description: Provides the order of the Slater orbital expansion in GTOs.

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TB3_INTERACTION

Type: logical
Default: T
Lone keyword: T
Usage: TB3_INTERACTION T

Description: Use TB3 interaction terms; for debug only

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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USE_HALOGEN_CORRECTION

Type: logical
Default: T
Lone keyword: T
Usage: USE_HALOGEN_CORRECTION T

Description: Use XB interaction term

Mentions:Extended Tight Binding

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VARIATIONAL_DIPOLE

Type: logical
Default: F
Lone keyword: T
Usage: VARIATIONAL_DIPOLE T

Description: gfn0-xTB use dipole definition from energy derivative.

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VDW_POTENTIAL

Type: string
Usage: VDW_POTENTIAL type

Description: vdW potential to be used: NONE, DFTD3, DFTD4. Defaults: DFTD3(gfn1), DFTD4(gfn0, gfn2).

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