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We analyze how the choice of the sampling weight affects efficiency of the Monte Carlo evaluation of classical time autocorrelation functions. Assuming uncorrelated sampling or sampling with constant correlation length, we propose a sampling weight for which the number of trajectories needed for convergence is independent of the correlated quantity, dimensionality, dynamics, and phase-space density. By contrast, it is shown that the computational cost of the 'standard' algorithm sampling from the phase-space density may scale exponentially with the number of degrees of freedom. Yet, for the stationary Gaussian distribution of harmonic systems and for the autocorrelation function of a linear function of phase-space coordinates, the computational cost of this standard algorithm is also independent of dimensionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-resolved electronic spectra can be obtained as the Fourier transform of a special type of time correlation function known as fidelity amplitude, which, in turn, can be evaluated approximately and efficiently with the dephasing representation. Here we improve both the accuracy of this approximation-with an amplitude correction derived from the phase-space propagator-and its efficiency-with an improved cellular scheme employing inverse Weierstrass transform and optimal scaling of the cell size. We demonstrate the advantages of the new methodology by computing dispersed time-resolved stimulated emission spectra in the harmonic potential, pyrazine, and the NCO molecule. In contrast, we show that in strongly chaotic systems such as the quartic oscillator the original dephasing representation is more appropriate than either the cellular or prefactor-corrected methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose to measure nonadiabaticity of molecular quantum dynamics rigorously with the quantum fidelity between the Born-Oppenheimer and fully nonadiabatic dynamics. It is shown that this measure of nonadiabaticity applies in situations where other criteria, such as the energy gap criterion or the extent of population transfer, fail. We further propose to estimate this quantum fidelity efficiently with a generalization of the dephasing representation to multiple surfaces. Two variants of the multiple-surface dephasing representation (MSDR) are introduced, in which the nuclei are propagated either with the fewest-switches surface hopping or with the locally mean field dynamics (LMFD). The LMFD can be interpreted as the Ehrenfest dynamics of an ensemble of nuclear trajectories, and has been used previously in the nonadiabatic semiclassical initial value representation. In addition to propagating an ensemble of classical trajectories, the MSDR requires evaluating nonadiabatic couplings and solving the Schrödinger (or more generally, the quantum Liouville-von Neumann) equation for a single discrete degree of freedom. The MSDR can be also used in the diabatic basis to measure the importance of the diabatic couplings. The method is tested on three model problems introduced by Tully and on a two-surface model of dissociation of NaI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an approximate method for evaluating the importance of non-Born–Oppenheimer effects on the quantum dynamics of nuclei. The method uses a generalization of the dephasing representation (DR) of quantum fidelity to several diabatic potential energy surfaces and its computational cost is the cost of dynamics of a classical phase space distribution. It can be implemented easily into any molecular dynamics program and also can utilize on-the-fly ab initio electronic structure information. We test the methodology on three model problems introduced by Tully and on the photodissociation of NaI. The results show that for dynamics close to the diabatic limit, the decay of fidelity due to nondiabatic effects is described accurately by the DR. In this regime, unlike the mixed quantum-classical methods such as surface hopping or Ehrenfest dynamics, the DR can capture more subtle quantum effects than the population transfer between potential energy surfaces. Hence we propose using the DR to estimate the dynamical importance of diabatic, spin-orbit, or other couplings between potential energy surfaces. The acquired information can help reduce the complexity of a studied system without affecting the accuracy of the quantum simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general method for the direct evaluation of the temperature dependence of the quantum-mechanical reaction rate constant in many-dimensional systems is described. The method is based on the quantum instanton approximation for the rate constant, thermodynamic integration with respect to the inverse temperature, and the path integral Monte Carlo evaluation. It can describe deviations from the Arrhenius law due to the coupling of rotations and vibrations, zero-point energy, tunneling, corner-cutting, and other nuclear quantum effects. The method is tested on the Eckart barrier and the full-dimensional H+H2→H2+H reaction. In the temperature range from 300 to 1500 K, the error of the present method remains within 13% despite the very large deviations from the Arrhenius law. The direct approach makes the calculations much more efficient, and the efficiency is increased even further (by up to two orders of magnitude in the studied reactions) by using optimal estimators for reactant and transition state thermal energies. Which of the estimators is optimal, however, depends on the system and the strength of constraint in a constrained simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ab initio methods for the electronic structure of molecules have reached a satisfactory accuracy for calculations of static properties but remain too expensive for quantum dynamics calculations. We propose an efficient semiclassical method for evaluating the accuracy of a lower level quantum dynamics, as compared to a higher level quantum dynamics, without having to perform any quantum dynamics. The method is based on the dephasing representation of quantum fidelity and its feasibility is demonstrated on the photodissociation dynamics of CO2. Our accuracy test can be easily implemented in existing molecular dynamics codes, thus offering wide applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently showed that the dephasing representation (DR) provides an efficient tool for computing ultrafast electronic spectra and that further acceleration is possible with cellularization [M. Sˇulc and J. Vanícˇek, Mol. Phys. 110, 945 (2012)]. Here, we focus on increasing the accuracy of this approximation by first implementing an exact Gaussian basis method, which benefits from the accuracy of quantum dynamics and efficiency of classical dynamics. Starting from this exact method, the DR is derived together with ten other methods for computing time-resolved spectra with intermediate accuracy and efficiency. These methods include the Gaussian DR, an exact generalization of the DR, in which trajectories are replaced by communicating frozen Gaussian basis functions evolving classically with an average Hamiltonian. The newly obtained methods are tested numerically on time correlation functions and time-resolved stimulated emission spectra in the harmonic potential, pyrazine S0/S1 model, and quartic oscillator. Numerical results confirm that both the Gaussian basis method and the Gaussian DR increase the accuracy of the DR. Surprisingly, in chaotic systems the Gaussian DR can outperform the presumably more accurate Gaussian basis method, in which the two bases are evolved separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose to measure the importance of spin-orbit couplings (SOCs) in the nonadiabatic molecular quantum dynamics rigorously with quantum fidelity. To make the criterion practical, quantum fidelity is estimated efficiently with the multiple-surface dephasing representation (MSDR). The MSDR is a semiclassical method that includes nuclear quantum effects through interference of mixed quantum-classical trajectories without the need for the Hessian of potential energy surfaces. Two variants of the MSDR are studied, in which the nuclei are propagated either with the fewest-switches surface hopping or with the locally mean field dynamics. The fidelity criterion and MSDR are first tested on one-dimensional model systems amenable to numerically exact quantum dynamics. Then, the MSDR is combined with 'on-the-fly' computed electronic structure to measure the importance of SOCs and nonadiabatic couplings in the photoisomerization dynamics of CH2NH2+ considering 20 electronic states and in the collision of F + H2 considering six electronic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Path integral evaluation of equilibrium isotope effects," that was published in the July 28, 2009 issue is presented.