Rethinking linearized coupled-cluster theory

Hermitian linearized coupled-cluster methods have several advantages over more conventional coupled-cluster methods including facile analytical gradients for searching a potential energy surface. A persistent failure of linearized methods, however, is the presence of singularities on the potential energy surface. A simple Tikhonov regularization procedure is introduced that can eliminate this singularity. Application of the regularized linearized coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) method to both equilibrium structures and transition states shows that it is competitive with or better than conventional CCSD, and is more amenable to parallelization.