Cubic and Tetragonal Perovskites from the Random Phase Approximation*

Evaluating many body correlation effects beyond the commonly applied local or semi-local density functionals has received tremendous attention over the past few years. Using the random phase approximation (RPA) to describe the correlation energy combined with the exact exchange energy, we have investigated twenty cubic ABO₃-type perovskites and three prototypical ferroelectric (tetragonal) perovskites. A quantitative analysis and comparison of the performance of various local and semi-local exchange-correlation functionals (XCFs) shows that the inclusion of dynamical correlation effects allows for an excellent account of the structure and energetics of complex ABO₃-type oxides.