OPT Keywords

KeywordEffect
Algorithm bfgs|berny|rberny|sella|geometricOptimizer backend (geometric aliases: geomet, tric)
Coord cartesian|primitive|dlc|hdlc|tric|tric-pInternal-coordinate model
MaxCycle NMaximum optimization cycles (default 100)
Trust rInitial trust radius, Bohr (default 0.3)
TMax rMaximum trust radius, Bohr (default 0.5)
NoTrustDisable TRM level-shifted Newton step
TransitionState trueSearch for a first-order saddle point (also: TS task token)
IRCIntrinsic reaction coordinate follow
IRCDir +1|-1Restrict IRC direction
NEBNudged elastic band
Images NNumber of NEB images (default 8)
SellaOrder 1|2Sella gradient order (1 = Hessian-only)
Step trm|prfo|mmfStep type (TRM, P-RFO, or MMF)
Update bfgs|psb|ms|bofill|sr1|dfp|bfgs_powell|ts-bfgsHessian update formula
DiisEnable GEDIIS
DiisSize NGEDIIS subspace size
SymmetryExploit point-group symmetry in IC build
MOGuess true|falseReuse previous cycle's orbitals as next SCF guess (warm start, default true)
OptSymmetryEnforce symmetry along the optimisation path
NoStepRun optimizer without taking a step (debug)
Hessian analytical|semiHessian source for IC initialisation
NoCartHessianIgnore any inline Cartesian Hessian
CartHessian …Inline Cartesian Hessian matrix
RigidRigid-body component removal (TRIC only)
RemoveTrRemove TR modes (DLC/HDLC/TRIC only)
ConMethod 0|1Delocalized construction method
ConnectReconnect connectivity graph at every step
AddCartAdd Cartesian components to IC basis
ConnectIsolatedConnect isolated fragments
PrimitiveAlias for Coord primitive
PrimStepStep projection in primitive IC space
Gauss default|loose|tightConvergence preset
Tighten NTighten all criteria by 10⁻ᴺ
MaxDisplacement rMax allowed step length
Constraints clause-listGeometric constraints
Dihedral true|false(RBerny only) Include dihedral angles in IC set (default true)
SuperWeakDih true|false(RRust Berny only) Use super‑weak dihedral force constants (default false)
EnergyNoise r(RBerny only) Energy‑noise floor for trust‑radius updates (default 2e-8)

Rust Berny backend keywords only apply when Algorithm rberny (or the RBerny task token) is active.

Constraint Syntax

Multiple clauses joined by ;:

Frozen atoms/components:

  • freeze_atoms:1-3;6
  • freeze_x:2
  • freeze_yz:4-5

Geometric targets (append ! for hard constraint):

  • bond:1-2=1.40ang
  • angle:1-2-3=104.5deg
  • dihedral:1-2-3-4=180deg!

Penalty tuning:

  • kbond=…, kangle=…, kdihedral=…, or k=… for all three

See OPT Section and Constraints for detailed descriptions and examples.