Capturing Electronic Inertial Effects in Molecular Dynamics: A Phase-Space Approach to Surface Hopping

Основні поняття

A novel semiclassical phase-space surface hopping approach can accurately capture electronic inertial effects during molecular translations, rotations, and vibrations, overcoming the limitations of the traditional Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

Анотація

The authors present a new semiclassical phase-space approach to molecular dynamics that goes beyond the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The key idea is to construct an electronic Hamiltonian that depends on both nuclear coordinates and momenta, rather than just coordinates as in the standard BO framework.
The authors demonstrate that this phase-space Hamiltonian can effectively account for electronic inertial effects, which are typically neglected in traditional surface hopping dynamics. Specifically, they show that under pure molecular translations and rotations, the phase-space approach prevents unphysical non-adiabatic transitions between electronic states that would occur in a standard BO surface hopping simulation.
The authors provide several numerical examples to support their theory, including the dynamics of a traveling hydrogen atom, rigid rotations of an H2+ molecule, and rotations of H2+ with spin-orbit coupling. These results highlight the power of the phase-space formalism in capturing electronic inertial effects and maintaining the conservation of total angular momentum, which is crucial for accurately modeling phenomena like spin-phonon interactions and chiral-induced spin selectivity.
The authors emphasize that the phase-space approach can be efficiently implemented using a linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) basis, making it applicable to realistic-sized molecular systems. They also discuss future applications of this method, such as studying electron-phonon problems in condensed phase systems and exploring spin-dependent electron transfer processes.

Статистика

None.

Цитати

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Ключові висновки, отримані з

A semiclassical non-adiabatic phase-space approach to molecular translations and rotations: A new picture of surface hopping and electronic inertial effects

by Xuezhi Bian,... о arxiv.org 10-03-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.01156.pdf

Глибші Запити

How can the phase-space surface hopping approach be extended to study electron-phonon problems in condensed phase systems, and what insights could it provide into phenomena like superconductivity?

The phase-space surface hopping approach can be extended to study electron-phonon interactions in condensed phase systems by incorporating the dynamics of phonons alongside the electronic degrees of freedom. This extension involves parameterizing the electronic Hamiltonian not only by nuclear positions and momenta but also by phonon modes, allowing for a more comprehensive treatment of the coupled electron-phonon dynamics. By doing so, the phase-space formalism can capture the intricate interplay between electronic excitations and lattice vibrations, which is crucial for understanding phenomena such as superconductivity.
In superconductivity, the electron-phonon coupling plays a pivotal role in mediating attractive interactions between electrons, leading to Cooper pair formation. The phase-space approach can provide insights into how these interactions evolve under various conditions, such as temperature changes or external fields. By simulating real-time dynamics, researchers can investigate how phonon modes influence electronic transitions and the stability of Cooper pairs, potentially revealing mechanisms that contribute to superconducting behavior. Furthermore, this approach can help elucidate the role of non-adiabatic effects in electron-phonon coupling, which are often significant in materials with strong electron-phonon interactions.

Can the phase-space formalism be combined with other advanced electronic structure methods, such as multi-reference or coupled-cluster approaches, to further improve the accuracy and applicability of the method?

Yes, the phase-space formalism can be effectively combined with advanced electronic structure methods like multi-reference and coupled-cluster approaches to enhance both accuracy and applicability. Multi-reference methods are particularly useful for systems where electronic correlation plays a significant role, such as near conical intersections or in the presence of strong electron correlation. By integrating the phase-space approach with multi-reference techniques, one can capture the dynamic correlation effects that arise during non-adiabatic transitions, providing a more accurate description of the electronic states involved.
Coupled-cluster methods, known for their high accuracy in describing ground and excited states, can also be integrated with the phase-space formalism. This combination allows for the treatment of electronic correlations while simultaneously accounting for the effects of nuclear motion and electronic inertia. By leveraging the strengths of both methodologies, researchers can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of molecular dynamics, particularly in complex systems where both electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom are crucial.

What are the potential implications of the phase-space approach for understanding chiral-induced spin selectivity effects, and how could it help resolve long-standing questions in this field?

The phase-space approach has significant implications for understanding chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effects, which refer to the phenomenon where chiral molecules preferentially interact with spin-polarized electrons. By incorporating electronic inertia and the dynamics of both nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom, the phase-space formalism can provide a more nuanced understanding of how chiral phonons and electronic states interact.
One of the long-standing questions in the field of CISS is the mechanism behind the observed spin polarization in electron transport through chiral molecules. The phase-space approach can help elucidate this mechanism by allowing for the simulation of real-time dynamics that include both the rotational motion of chiral molecules and the corresponding electronic responses. This capability can reveal how angular momentum transfer occurs between electrons and chiral phonons, potentially leading to a deeper understanding of the underlying physics of CISS.
Moreover, by accurately modeling the non-adiabatic transitions and electronic inertia effects, the phase-space approach can help identify the conditions under which CISS is maximized, providing insights that could inform the design of new materials and devices that exploit these effects for applications in spintronics and quantum computing. Overall, the phase-space formalism represents a powerful tool for advancing our understanding of chiral-induced spin selectivity and its implications in various fields of research.