In E. Sandré & A. Pasturel's An Introduction to Ab-Initio Molecular Dynamics Schemes
If using small time steps (typically in the order of a few tenth of femto-second), the changes in the electronic configuration is small enough so that convergence of the electronic configuration is easily achieved using a few conjugate gradient steps. However, the computational cost of dynamical simulation appears to be mostly due to keeping the electronic configuration in the ground state.
I don't understand this. DFT and HF are methods that can only give electron ground state. Since it is either DFT or HF that is used in Ab-initio MD simulations, then what does this excited state is referring to?
My understanding:
First of all, the number of electron orbitals calculated by either DFT or HF approach equals the number of electrons in the system, so we get no electronic excited state.
Under Born-Oppenheimer approximation, while varying the atomic configuration, the electrons are expected to stay in their ground state. Since the validity of BO approximation dictates no abrupt change in electronic energy.
So, the reason of 'Keeping the electronic configuration in the ground state is expensive' is that when the atomic configuration changes in MD simulation, it is hard to make the electronic energy difference small.
Is my understanding correct?