MOLCAS-a software for multiconfigurational quantum chemistry calculations

At variance, with most of the quantum chemistry software presently available, MOLCAS is a package that is specialized in multiconfigurational wave function theory (MC-WFT) rather than density functional theory (DFT). Given the much higher algorithmic complexity of MC-WFT versus DFT, an extraordinary effort needs to be made from the programming point of view to achieve state-of-the-art performance for large-scale calculations. In particular, a robust and efficient implementation of the Cholesky decomposition techniques for handling two-electron integrals has been developed which is unique to MOLCAS. Together with this 'Cholesky infrastructure', a powerful and multilayer graphical and scripting user interface is available, which is an essential ingredient for the setup of MC-WFT calculations. These two aspects of the MOLCAS software constitute the focus of the present report. (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.