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Chinese Journal of Chemical Physics

Accurate calculation of equilibrium reduced density matrix for the system-bath model: A multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree approach and its comparison to a multi-electronic-state path integral molecular dynamics approach

Haobin Wang, Xinzijian Liu, Jian Liu

Published Aug 1, 2018• 11 citations
Publisher

Abstract

An efficient and accurate method for computing the equilibrium reduced density matrix is presented for treating open quantum systems characterized by the system-bath model. The method employs the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree theory for imaginary time propagation and an importance sampling procedure for calculating the quantum mechanical trace. The method is applied to the spin-boson Hamiltonian, which leads to accurate results in agreement with those produced by the multi-electronic-state path integral molecular dynamics method.

DOI
10.1063/1674-0068/31/cjcp1805122

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An efficient and accurate method for computing the equilibrium reduced density matrix is presented for treating open quantum systems characterized by the system-bath model. The method employs the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree theory for imaginary time propagation and an importance sampling procedure for calculating the quantum mechanical trace. The method is applied to the spin-boson Hamiltonian, which leads to accurate results in agreement with those produced by the multi-electronic-state path integral molecular dynamics method.
The improved relaxation approach of Meyer and co-workers is extended by employing the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (ML-MCTDH) theory. Within this approach the trial wave function is expressed by a recursive, multilayered expansion that is the same as in a normal ML-MCTDH simulation. Calculation of an energy eigenstate then proceeds by iteratively diagonalizing the Boltzmann operator in the top layer representation using a Lanczos/Arnoldi method while relaxing the single particle functions of all layers using the ML-MCTDH imaginary time propagation. Numerical iteration is stopped until the relative energy and/or density of the target state meet the convergence criteria. The application of this multilayer improved relaxation method is illustrated by computing the energy splitting for the lowest pair of eigenstates as well as the spin observables and entanglement entropy of the spin-boson model. A large number of degrees of freedom, up to 10,000 bath modes, can be treated, and thus the appropriate phase transition at a critical system-bath coupling strength may be predicted via appropriate extrapolations.
The feasibility of using a basis set approach to the study of quantum dissipative dynamics is investigated for the spin-boson model, a system of two discrete states linearly coupled to a harmonic bath. The infinite Hamiltonian is discretized to a finite number of degrees of freedom. Traditional basis set approach, in a multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree context, is used to solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equations by explicitly including all the degrees of freedom (“system”+“bath”). Quantities such as the reduced density matrix are then evaluated via a quadrature summation/Monte Carlo procedure over a certain number of time-dependent wave functions. Numerically exact results are obtained by systematically increasing the number of bath modes used to represent the condensed phase environment, as well as other variational parameters (number of basis functions, configurations, etc.). The potential of the current method is briefly discussed.
An efficient method, the self-consistent hybrid method, is proposed for accurately simulating time-dependent quantum dynamics in complex systems. The method is based on an iterative convergence procedure for a dynamical hybrid approach. In this approach, the overall system is first partitioned into a “core” and a “reservoir” (an initial guess). The former is treated via an accurate quantum mechanical method, namely, the time-dependent multiconfiguration self-consistent field or multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree approach, and the latter is treated via a more approximate method, e.g., classical mechanics, semiclassical initial value representations, quantum perturbation theories, etc. Next, the number of “core” degrees of freedom, as well as other variational parameters, is systematically increased to achieve numerical convergence for the overall quantum dynamics. The method is applied to two examples of quantum dissipative dynamics in the condensed phase: the spin-boson problem and the electronic resonance decay in the presence of a vibrational bath. It is demonstrated that the method provides a practical way of obtaining accurate quantum dynamical results for complex systems.
We introduce a new approach for calculating quantum time-correlation functions and time-dependent expectation values in many-body thermal systems; both electronically adiabatic and non-adiabatic cases can be treated. Our approach uses a path integral simulation to sample an initial thermal density matrix; subsequent evolution of this density matrix is equivalent to solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, which we perform using a linear expansion of Gaussian wavepacket basis functions which evolve according to simple classical-like trajectories. Overall, this methodology represents a formally exact approach for calculating time-dependent quantum properties; by introducing approximations into both the imaginary-time and real-time propagations, this approach can be adapted for complex many-particle systems interacting through arbitrary potentials. We demonstrate this method for the spin Boson model, where we find good agreement with numerically exact calculations. We also discuss future directions of improvement for our approach with a view to improving accuracy and efficiency.
The multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree method is applied in an interaction picture to simulate dynamics of the spin-boson model in the reaction-coordinate representation. The use of the interaction picture allows a more effective description of correlation effects, especially when the coupling strength between the reaction coordinate and the bath is very strong. Examples show that in most physical regimes the efficiency is improved significantly, in some cases up to several orders of magnitude. This opens up new avenues for studying quantum dynamical problems.
The multilayer improved relaxation is applied to study the delocalization-localization transition in the spin-boson model at zero temperature-a well-known example of quantum phase transition. Calculations of energy eigenstates are obtained by iteratively diagonalizing the matrix of the Boltzmann operator in the top layer representation, using a Lanczos/Arnoldi method while relaxing the single particle functions of all layers using the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree imaginary time propagation. Two properties are used to examine the quantum phase transition: the energy splitting for the lowest pair of eigenstates and the magnetic susceptibility. Consistent findings are obtained with appropriate scaling parameters.