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Chin. Phys. B, 2026, Vol. 35(1): 016301    DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/ae0a39
CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES Prev  

Machine learning-assisted optimization of MTO basis sets

Zhiqiang Li(李志强), and Lei Wang(王蕾)†
Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
Abstract  First-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) have had a significant impact on chemistry, physics, and materials science, enabling in-depth exploration of the structural and electronic properties of a wide variety of materials. Among different implementations of DFT, the plane-wave method is widely used for periodic systems because of its high accuracy. However, this method typically requires a large number of basis functions for large systems, leading to high computational costs. Localized basis sets, such as the muffin-tin orbital (MTO) method, have been introduced to provide a more efficient description of electronic structure with a reduced basis set, albeit at the cost of reduced computational accuracy. In this work, we propose an optimization strategy using machine-learning techniques to automate MTO basis-set parameters, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of MTO-based calculations. Default MTO parameter settings primarily focus on lattice structure and give less consideration to element-specific differences. In contrast, our optimized parameters incorporate both structural and elemental information. Based on these converged parameters, we successfully recovered missing bands for CrTe2. For the other three materials — Si, GaAs, and CrI3 — we achieved band improvements of up to 2 eV. Furthermore, the generalization of the machine-learned method is validated by perturbation, strain, and elemental substitution, resulting in improved band structures. Additionally, lattice-constant optimization for GaAs using the converged parameters yields closer agreement with experiment.
Keywords:  first-principles calculations      muffin-tin orbital      machine learning  
Received:  07 May 2025      Revised:  19 August 2025      Accepted manuscript online:  23 September 2025
PACS:  63.20.dk (First-principles theory)  
  89.20.Ff (Computer science and technology)  
Fund: This project was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2023YFA1406600 and 2021YFA1202200).
Corresponding Authors:  Lei Wang     E-mail:  wanglei.icer@seu.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Zhiqiang Li(李志强), and Lei Wang(王蕾) Machine learning-assisted optimization of MTO basis sets 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 016301

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