Analyzing molecular static linear response properties with perturbed localized orbitals

Perturbed localized molecular orbitals (LMOs), correct to first order in an applied static perturbation and consistent with a chosen localization functional, are calculated using analytic derivative techniques. The formalism is outlined for a general static perturbation and variational localization functionals. Iterative and (formally) single-step approaches are compared. The implementation employs an iterative sequence of 2×2 orbital rotations. The procedure is verified by calculations of molecular electric-field perturbations. Boys LMO contributions to the electronic static polarizability and the electric-field perturbation of the 〈 r² 〉 expectation value are calculated and analyzed for ethene, ethyne, and fluoroethene (H₂ C=CHF). For ethene, a comparison is made with results from a Pipek-Mezey localization. The calculations show that a chemically intuitive decomposition of the calculated properties is possible with the help of the LMO contributions and that the polarizability contributions in similar molecules are approximately transferable.