Minimization procedure in reduced density matrix functional theory by means of an effective noninteracting system

In this work, we propose a self-consistent minimization procedure for functionals in reduced density matrix functional theory. We introduce an effective noninteracting system at finite temperature which is capable of reproducing the groundstate one-reduced density matrix of an interacting system at zero temperature. By introducing the concept of a temperature tensor the minimization with respect to the occupation numbers is shown to be greatly improved. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.