Summary of GAMESS' Capabilities

GAMESS is a program for ab initio molecular quantum chemistry. Briefly, GAMESS can compute SCF wavefunctions ranging from RHF, ROHF, UHF, GVB, and MCSCF. Correlation corrections to these SCF wavefunctions include Configuration Interaction, second order perturbation Theory, and Coupled-Cluster approaches, as well as the Density Functional Theory approximation. Nuclear gradients are available, for automatic geometry optimization, transition state searches, or reaction path following. Computation of the energy hessian permits prediction of vibrational frequencies, with IR or Raman intensities. Solvent effects may be modeled by the discrete Effective Fragment potentials, or continuum models such as the polarizable Continuum Model. Numerous relativistic computations are available, including third order Douglas-Kroll scalar corrections, and various spin-orbit coupling options. The Fragment Molecular Orbital method permits use of many of these sophisticated treatments to be used on very large systems, by dividing the computation into small fragments. Nuclear wavefunctions can also be computed, in VSCF, or with explicit treatment of nuclear orbitals by the NEO code.

A variety of molecular properties, ranging from simple dipole moments to frequency dependent hyperpolarizabilities may be computed. Many basis sets are stored internally, together with effective core potentials or model core potentials, so that essentially the entire periodic table can be considered.

Most computations can be performed using direct techniques, or in parallel on appropriate hardware. Graphics programs, particularly the MacMolplt program (for Macintosh, Windows, or Linux desktops), are available for viewing of the final results, and the Avogadro program can assist with preparation of inputs.

A detailed description of the program is available in the following journal articles:

"General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System" M.W.Schmidt, K.K.Baldridge, J.A.Boatz, S.T.Elbert, M.S.Gordon, J.H.Jensen, S.Koseki, N.Matsunaga, K.A.Nguyen, S.Su, T.L.Windus, M.Dupuis, J.A.Montgomery J. Comput. Chem., 14, 1347-1363(1993).

"Advances in electronic structure theory: GAMESS a decade later" M.S.Gordon, M.W.Schmidt pp. 1167-1189, in "Theory and Applications of Computational Chemistry: the first forty years" C.E.Dykstra, G.Frenking, K.S.Kim, G.E.Scuseria (editors), Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2005.

The chart below summarizes the program's present capabilities for obtaining wavefunctions, applying correlation treatments, and computing derivatives.

                       SCFTYP=                RHF    ROHF    UHF    GVB    MCSCF
		                              ---    ----    ---    ---    -----
		       SCF Energy             CDpF   CDp     CDp    CDp     CDpF
		       SCF analytic gradient  CDpF   CDp     CDp    CDp     CDpF
		       SCF numerical Hessian  CDpF   CDp     CDp    CDp     CDp
		       SCF analytic Hessian   CDp    CDp      -     CDp      Dp
		       MP2 energy             CDpF   CDp     CDp     -      CDp
		       MP2 gradient           CDpF    Dp     CDp     -       -
		       CI energy              CDp    CDp      -     CDp     CDp
		       CI gradient            CD      -       -      -       -
		       CC energy              CDpF   CD       -      -       -
		       EOM energy             CD      -       -      -       -
		       DFT energy             CDpF   CDp     CDp     -       -
		       DFT gradient           CDpF   CDp     CDp     -       -
		       TD-DFT energy          CDpF    -      CDp     -       -
		       TD-DFT gradient        CDp     -       -      -       -
		       MOPAC energy           yes    yes     yes    yes      -
		       MOPAC gradient         yes    yes     yes     -       -
		

Here:
C=conventional storage of integrals on disk
D=direct AO integral computation
p=parallel execution
F=Fragment MO compatibility

A more complete summary of the program capabilities, including all run types and molecular properties can be found in INTRO.DOC, the first chapter of the GAMESS documentation.