Defaults and special cases

If the XC key is not used, the program will apply only the Local Density Approximation (no GGA terms). The chosen LDA form is then VWN.

If only a GGA part is specified, omitting the LDA sub key, the LDA part defaults to VWN, except when the LYP correlation correction is used: in that case the LDA default is Xonly: pure exchange.

The reason for this is that the LYP formulas assume the pure-exchange LDA form, while for instance the Perdew-86 correlation correction is a correction to a correlated LDA form. The precise form of this correlated LDA form assumed in the Perdew-86 correlation correction is not available as an option in ADF but the VWN formulas are fairly close to it.

Be aware that typing only the sub key LDA, without an argument, will activate the VWN form (also if LYP is specified in the GGA part).