Molecules under external electric field: On the changes in the electronic structure and validity limits of the theoretical predictions

A detailed analysis of the electronic structure of the ground and first excited spin state of three diatomic molecules (N2,BH and CO) under static applied electric field is performed at CCSD(T), DFT, MRCI and MRCI(Q) levels of theory. Our findings have revealed that by boosting the applied field one induces changes in the occupation numbers of molecular orbitals, giving rise to changes in the equilibrium geometry and in the HOMO-LUMO energy gap. Specifically, singlet to triplet spin transition can be induced by increasing the applied electric field beyond a critical value. Accordingly, affecting the accuracy of the widely used expression of energy expanded in Taylor series with respect to the applied electric field. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.