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A variational procedure is described for the computation of the non-adiabatic mass-correction tensor applicable for multi-dimensional electronic manifolds. The 30-year-old computations of Wolniewicz, Dressler, and their co-workers are appended with the computed vibronic mass-correction functions corresponding to the $EF$-$GK$-$H\bar{H}$-$S5$-$S6$ $^1��_\text{g}^+$ manifold of the hydrogen molecule. Initial results are reported for the vibronic energies. Necessary further improvements and further developments are discussed.

The Dirac-Coulomb equation with positive-energy projection is solved using explicitly correlated Gaussian functions. The algorithm and computational procedure aims for a parts-per-billion convergence of the energy to provide a starting point for further comparison and further developments in relation with high-resolution atomic and molecular spectroscopy. Besides a detailed discussion of the implementation of the fundamental spinor structure, permutation and point-group symmetries, various options for the positive-energy projection procedure are presented. The no-pair Dirac-Coulomb energy converged to a parts-per-billion precision is compared with perturbative results for atomic and molecular systems with small nuclear charge numbers. The subsequent paper [Paper II: D. Ferenc, P. Jeszenszki, and E. M��tyus (2022)] describes the implementation of the Breit interaction in this framework.

The Breit interaction is implemented in the no-pair variational Dirac-Coulomb (DC) framework using an explicitly correlated Gaussian basis reported in the previous paper [Paper I: P. Jeszenszki, D. Ferenc, and E. M��tyus (2022)]. Both a perturbative and a fully variational inclusion of the Breit term is considered. The no-pair DC plus perturbative Breit as well as the no-pair Dirac-Coulomb-Breit energies are compared with perturbation theory results including the Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian and leading-order non-radiative quantum electrodynamics corrections for low $Z$ values. Possible reasons for the observed deviations are discussed.

This paper elaborates the integral transformation technique of [K. Pachucki, W. Cencek, and J. Komasa, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 184101 (2005)] and uses it for the case of the non-relativistic kinetic and Coulomb potential energy operators, as well as for the relativistic mass-velocity and Darwin terms. The techniques are tested for the ground electronic state of the helium atom and new results are reported for the ground electronic state of the H$_3^+$ molecular ion near its equilibrium structure.

A variational solution procedure is reported for the many-particle no-pair Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian aiming at a parts-per-billion (ppb) convergence of the atomic and molecular energies, described within the fixed nuclei approximation. The procedure is tested for nuclear charge numbers from $Z=1$ (hydrogen) to $28$ (iron). Already for the lowest $Z$ values, a significant difference is observed from leading-order Foldy-Woythusen perturbation theory, but the observed deviations are smaller than the estimated self-energy and vacuum polarization corrections.

The rovibrational intervals of the $^4$He$_2^+$ molecular ion in its $X\ ^2��_\text{u}^+$ ground electronic state are computed by including the non-adiabatic, relativistic, and leading-order quantum-electrodynamics corrections. Good agreement of theory and experiment is observed for the rotational excitation series of the vibrational ground state and the fundamental vibration. The lowest-energy rotational interval is computed to be $70.937\ 69(10)$ cm$^{-1}$ in agreement with the most recently reported experimental value, $70.937\ 589(23)(60)_\text{sys}$ cm$^{-1}$ [L. Semeria, P. Jansen, G.-M. Camenisch, F. Mellini, H. Schmutz, and F. Merkt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 213001 (2020)].

Selected states of the $EF\ ^1��_\mathrm{g}^+$ electronic manifold of the hydrogen molecule are computed as resonances of the four-body problem. Systematic improvement of the basis representation for the variational treatment is achieved through an energy-tracking optimization procedure. The resulting non-relativistic energy is converged within a few nano Hartree, while the predissociative width is found to be negligible at this level of accuracy. The four-particle non-relativistic energies are appended with relativistic and quantum electrodynamics corrections which close the gap between the experimental observations and earlier theoretical work.

The mass-correction function is evaluated for selected excited states of the hydrogen molecule within a single-state non-adiabatic treatment. Its qualitative features are studied under the avoided crossing of the $EF$ with the $GK$ state and also for the outer well of the $H\bar{H}$ state. For the $H\bar{H}$ state, a negative mass correction is obtained for the vibrational motion near the outer minimum, which accounts for most of the deviation between experiment and earlier theoretical work.