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Click chemistry refers to selective reactions developed for grafting of bio(macro)molecules in their biological media. Caged click compounds have been employed to spatiotemporally control click reactions. Here, we survey the uncaging of photo-dibenzocyclooctyne-OH (photoDIBO-OH) to its click-chemistry active form DIBO-OH, with particular attention to its conversion timescale and efficiency. Ultraviolet pump–infrared probe experiments reveal a stepwise decarbonylation: first, carbon monoxide (C≡O) is released within 1.8 ps, and then, it converts, within 10 ps, to DIBO-OH. Completion of uncaging is achieved with an efficiency of ∼50%. A successful demonstration of two-photon uncaging of photoDIBO-OH at long wavelength (700 nm) confers enhanced in vivo compatibility and proceeds on the same timescale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on first applications of the Two-Layer Gaussian-based Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree (2L-GMCTDH) method to nonadiabatic dynamics. Simulations of ultrafast, coherent charge transfer dynamics are performed for a two-state linear vibronic coupling model describing an oligothiophene-fullerene charge transfer complex, for system dimensions ranging from 20 to 100 modes. Different variants of the state-dependent 2L-GMCTDH propagation are assessed, notably single-set and multi-set versions, along with a third hybrid variant. It is shown that the method is suitable to perform accurate and efficient nonadiabatic dynamics simulations in many dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on first applications of the Two-Layer Gaussian-based Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree (2L-GMCTDH) method [Römer et al., J. Chem. Phys. 138, 064106 (2013)] for high-dimensional quantum propagation using variational Gaussian basis sets. This method circumvents the limitations of conventional variational Gaussian wavepacket (GWP) methods by introducing a hierarchical wavefunction representation with a fully flexible first layer composed of orthogonal single-particle functions, which are in turn expressed as superpositions of GWPs of fixed width. The method is applied to a model Hamiltonian describing vibrational energy transport through a molecular chain. The model combines bilinear site-to-site couplings with site-local couplings induced by cubic anharmonicities. We report on simulation results for realizations comprising 5 sites with 35 vibrational modes and 18 sites with 90 vibrational modes, which are shown to be in excellent agreement with reference calculations by the Multi-Layer MCTDH method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a novel two-layer variant of the Gaussian-based multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (G-MCTDH) approach which improves on the performance and convergence properties of quantum propagation based on variationally evolving frozen Gaussians (FGs). While the standard scheme uses factorizable multi-dimensional FGs, the present approach combines these into flexible, MCTDH-like single-particle functions. At the same time, the expensive variational evolution of the Gaussian parameters is reduced to low-dimensional subspaces. As a result, the novel scheme significantly alleviates the current bottleneck to accurate propagation in G-MCTDH and its variational multiconfigurational Gaussian (vMCG) variant. Since the first-layer single-particle functions are chosen to be orthogonal, the present approach can be straightforwardly combined with existing multi-layer MCTDH schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonadiabatic photoinduced ring opening occurring in the two lowest excited singlet states of furan is investigated theoretically, using wave-packet propagation techniques. The underlying multidimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) are obtained from ab initio computations, using the equation-of-motion coupled cluster method restricted to single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD), reported in earlier recent work [E. V. Gromov, A. B. Trofimov, F. Gatti, and H. Köppel, J. Chem. Phys. 133, 164309 (2010)]. Up to five nuclear degrees of freedom are considered in the quantum dynamical treatment. Four of them represent in-plane motion for which the electronic states in question (correlating with the valence 1B2(V) and Rydberg 1A2(3s) states at the C2v ground-state molecular configuration) have different symmetries, A′ and A′′, respectively. The fifth mode, representing out-of-plane bending of the oxygen atom against the carbon-atom plane, leads to an interaction of these states, as is crucial for the photoreaction. The nonadiabatic coupling and conical intersection cause an electronic population transfer on the order of ∼10 fs. Its main features, and that of the wave-packet motion, are interpreted in terms of properties of the PES. The lifetime due to the ring-opening process has been estimated to be around 2 ps. The dependence of this estimate on the nuclear degrees of freedom retained in the computations is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-Markovian processes can often be turned Markovian by enlarging the set of variables. Here we show, by an explicit construction, how this can be done for the dynamics of a Brownian particle obeying the generalized Langevin equation. Given an arbitrary bath spectral density J0, we introduce an orthogonal transformation of the bath variables into effective modes, leading stepwise to a semi-infinite chain with nearest-neighbor interactions. The transformation is uniquely determined by J0 and defines a sequence {Jn}n∈N of residual spectral densities describing the interaction of the terminal chain mode, at each step, with the remaining bath. We derive a simple one-term recurrence relation for this sequence and show that its limit is the quasi-Ohmic expression provided by the Rubin model of dissipation. Numerical calculations show that, irrespective of the details of J0, convergence is fast enough to be useful in practice for an effective Ohmic reduction of the dissipative dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gaussian-based multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (G-MCTDH) method is applied to calculate the S2(ππ*) absorption spectrum of the pyrazine molecule, whose diffuse structure results from the ultrafast nonadiabatic dynamics at the S2-S1 conical intersection. The 24-mode second-order vibronic-coupling model of Raab et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 110, 936 (1999)] is employed, along with 4-mode and 10-mode reduced-dimensional variants of this model. G-MCTDH can be used either as an all-Gaussian approach or else as a hybrid method using a partitioning into primary modes, treated by conventional MCTDH basis functions, and secondary modes described by Gaussian particles. Comparison with standard MCTDH calculations shows that the method converges to the exact result. The variational, nonclassical evolution of the moving Gaussian basis is a key element in obtaining convergence. For high-dimensional systems, convergence is significantly accelerated if the method is employed as a hybrid scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum-mechanical hydrodynamic equations are considered for mixed quantum states, and the corresponding equations for pure quantum states are derived as a particular case. A generalization of the “quantum potential” of Bohmian mechanics is formulated. In the mixed-state case, an infinite hierarchy of kinetic equations arises that may be truncated by introducing suitable approximations. The influence of dissipation on the kinetic equations is discussed. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrodynamic approach is developed to describe nonadiabatic nuclear dynamics. We derive a hierarchy of hydrodynamic equations which are equivalent to the exact quantum Liouville equation for coupled electronic states. It is shown how the interplay between electronic populations and coherences translates into the coupled dynamics of the corresponding hydrodynamic fields. For the particular case of pure quantum states, the hydrodynamic hierarchy terminates such that the dynamics may be described in terms of the local densities and momentum fields associated with each of the electronic states. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method generalized to the propagation of density operators. Two types of MCTDH density operators which are expanded in different kinds of so-called single-particle density operators; Derivation of equations of motion applying the Dirac-Frenkel/MacLachlan variational principle.

Proposes a consistent treatment of environmental effects in the framework of the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree method. Extension of the method in view of treating complex molecular systems; Exact quantum dynamics for a certain number of primary modes; Wave function and density matrix description.

The dynamics of the molecular transition state, in a reaction or photodissociation process, may be analyzed by semiclassical methods. We investigate the classical dynamics of the transition state in the dissociation HgI2 (X 1Σ+g)→hνHgI(X 2Σ+)+I, and apply the semiclassical quantization methods based on periodic-orbit theory. A series of resonances is characterized in a low-energy regime, where the classical dynamics is regular, and at high energies, after a transition to chaos has occurred. In a complementary fashion, we analyze the quantum-mechanical propagation of wave packets. The spectrum which is derived from the quantum-mechanical autocorrelation function is compared with the semiclassical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]