Machine learning for the solution of the Schrödinger equation

Abstract

Machine learning (ML) methods have recently been increasingly widely used in quantum chemistry. While ML methods are now accepted as high accuracy approaches to construct interatomic potentials for applications, the use of ML to solve the Schrödinger equation, either vibrational or electronic, while not new, is only now making significant headway towards applications. We survey recent uses of ML techniques to solve the Schrödinger equation, including the vibrational Schrödinger equation, the electronic Schrödinger equation and the related problems of constructing functionals for density functional theory (DFT) as well as potentials which enter semi-empirical approximations to DFT. We highlight similarities and differences and specific difficulties that ML faces in these applications and possibilities for cross-fertilization of ideas.