Gapped-filtering for efficient Chebyshev expansion of the density projection operator

Abstract: We develop the gapped-filtering method, whereby a short Chebyshev expansion accurately represents the density-matrix operator. The method optimizes the Chebyshev coefficients to give the correct density matrix at all energies except within the gapped region where there are no eigenstates. Gapped filtering reduces the number of required terms in the Chebyshev expansion compared to traditional expansion methods, as long as one knows or can determine efficiently the HOMO and LUMO positions. The reduction is especially noticeable (factors of 2-3) when high accuracy is sought. To exemplify the method, we use gapped-filtering to increase the efficiency of stochastic-GW calculations.