Electronic Structure of Excited States with Configuration Interaction Methods by Alan D. Chien A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry) in The University of Michigan 2017 Doctoral Committee: Assistant Professor Paul Zimmerman, Chair Professor John Kieffer Professor Roseanne J. Sension Assistant Professor Dominika Kamila Zgid Alan D. Chien
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3103-0697 © Alan D. Chien 2017 Dedication To my parents, whose wisdom I benefit from every day. ii Acknowledgements During my time at the University of Michigan, I have encountered many great minds and made many great friends, all of whom have broadened my view of the world. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. Paul Zimmerman. Without his continuous support, guidance, and patience, I would not have been able to complete the work contained within this thesis. His hard work and quick mind are truly top notch, and I am forever thankful that he took the time to share his insights and critiques of my work. I would also like to thank my committee members for spending their time guiding yet another graduate student towards graduation, as well as their flexibility and kindness. Of course, my lab mates also played a large role in the completion of my degree, not only offering technical help, but companionship as well. Special mention has to be made of Andy Vitek, a fellow Hoo and a wonderful friend to me for the past four years. From playing ping-pong to climbing down at the Red, spending time with him is always a nice refueling session that I look forward to.