Analytical evaluation of ground state gradients in quantum electrodynamics coupled cluster theory

Abstract: Analytical gradients of potential energy surfaces play a central role in quantum chemistry, allowing for molecular geometry optimizations and molecular dynamics simulations. In strong coupling conditions, potential energy surfaces can account for strong interactions between matter and the quantized electromagnetic field. In this paper, we derive expressions for the ground state analytical gradients in quantum electrodynamics coupled cluster theory. We also present a Cholesky-based implementation for the coupled cluster singles and doubles model. We report timings to show the performance of the implementation and present optimized geometries to highlight cavity-induced molecular orientation effects in strong coupling conditions.