Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory from a Practitioners Perspective

We give a short overview of time-dependent density functional theory applied to dynamics of metal clusters. The actual level of treatment is the time-dependent local-density approximation (TDLDA) coupled to classical molecular dynamics for the ions (TDLDA-MD). We discuss the performance of LDA for this particular application and necessary extensions, as e.g. the self-interaction correction (SIC). Finally, a few selected examples of cluster dynamics are presented, from optical response to pump and probe experiments.