Correlation in time-dependent density-functional theory

The exact time-dependent correlation energy in time-dependent density-functional theory is shown to sometimes become positive, which is impossible with most present TDDFT approximations. Both the correlation potential and energy can be strongly nonlocal in time. A new inequality is derived for the time-dependent exchange-correlation energy. The correlation energy appears to scale to a constant function of scaled time in the high-density limit. In the linear response regime, the correlation energy is shown to become purely adiabatic, but the correlation potential is generally nonadiabatic. The usefulness of the virial theorem as a test of numerical accuracy is demonstrated. All results are found or inspired by exact numerical solution of a simple model system ~Hooke’s atom!, and inversion of the corresponding Kohn–Sham equations. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. @DOI: 10.1063/1.1479349#