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Nonadiabatic dynamics in open quantum-classical systems: Forward-backward trajectory solution

Chang‐Yu Hsieh, Raymond Kapral

Published Aug 17, 2016• 70 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A new approximate solution to the quantum-classical Liouville equation is derived starting from the formal solution of this equation in forward-backward form. The time evolution of a mixed quantum-classical system described by this equation is obtained in a coherent state basis using the mapping representation, which expresses N quantum degrees of freedom in a 2N-dimensional phase space. The solution yields a simple non-Hamiltonian dynamics in which a set of N coherent state coordinates evolve in forward and backward trajectories while the bath coordinates evolve under the influence of the mean potential that depends on these forward and backward tra-jectories. It is shown that the solution satisfies the differential form of the quantum-classical Liouville equation exactly. Relations to other mixed quantum-classical and semi-classical schemes are discussed. 1 ar

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A new approximate solution to the quantum-classical Liouville equation is derived starting from the formal solution of this equation in forward-backward form. The time evolution of a mixed quantum-classical system described by this equation is obtained in a coherent state basis using the mapping representation, which expresses N quantum degrees of freedom in a 2N-dimensional phase space. The solution yields a simple non-Hamiltonian dynamics in which a set of N coherent state coordinates evolve in forward and backward trajectories while the bath coordinates evolve under the influence of the mean potential that depends on these forward and backward tra-jectories. It is shown that the solution satisfies the differential form of the quantum-classical Liouville equation exactly. Relations to other mixed quantum-classical and semi-classical schemes are discussed. 1 ar
A new approximate solution to the quantum-classical Liouville equation is derived starting from the formal solution of this equation in forward-backward form. The time evolution of a mixed quantum-classical system described by this equation is obtained in a coherent state basis using the mapping representation, which expresses N quantum degrees of freedom in a 2N-dimensional phase space. The solution yields a simple dynamics in which a set of N coherent state coordinates evolves in forward and backward trajectories, while the bath coordinates evolve under the influence of the mean potential that depends on these forward and backward trajectories. It is shown that the solution satisfies the differential form of the quantum-classical Liouville equation exactly. Relations to other mixed quantum-classical and semi-classical schemes are discussed.
The evolution of a mixed quantum-classical system is expressed in the mapping formalism where discrete quantum states are mapped onto oscillator states, resulting in a phase space description of the quantum degrees of freedom. By defining projection operators onto the mapping states corresponding to the physical quantum states, it is shown that the mapping quantum-classical Liouville operator commutes with the projection operator so that the dynamics is confined to the physical space. It is also shown that a trajectory-based solution of this equation can be constructed that requires the simulation of an ensemble of entangled trajectories. An approximation to this evolution equation which retains only the Poisson bracket contribution to the evolution operator does admit a solution in an ensemble of independent trajectories but it is shown that this operator does not commute with the projection operators and the dynamics may take the system outside the physical space. The dynamical instabilities, utility, and domain of validity of this approximate dynamics are discussed. The effects are illustrated by simulations on several quantum systems.
Solving quantum dynamics is an exponentially difficult problem. Thus, an exact numerical solution is inaccessible for any condensed matter system.\nA promising approach is to divide the system into a quantum subsystem containing degrees of freedom which are of greater interest or those which have more profound quantum character (e.g., have smaller mass) and a classical bath containing the rest of the system.\nImposing such a partition and treating the bath classically results in quantum-classical dynamics. The quantum-classical Liouville equation is a general equation in the Hilbert space of quantum degrees of freedom while it resides in the phase space of the classical degrees of freedom.\nAny numerical solution to this equation requires representation of the quantum subsystem in some basis. Solutions to this equation have been already proposed in the subsystem, adiabatic and force bases, each with its own cons and pros.\n\nIn this work, the quantum-classical equations of motion are cast in the subsystem basis and subsequently mapped to a number of fictitious harmonic oscillators.\nThe result is quantum-classical dynamics in the mapping basis which treats both quantum and classical degrees of freedom on the same footing, i.e., in phase space. Neglecting a portion of the back reaction of the quantum-subsystem to classical bath results in an expression for the time evolution of an operator (density matrix) equal to its Poisson bracket with the Hamiltonian.\nThis equation can be solved in terms of characteristics to provide a computationally tractable method for calculating quantum-classical dynamical properties. The expressions for expectation values and correlation functions in this formalism are derived.\nCalculations on spin-boson system, barrier crossing models---the so called Tully models---and the Fenna-Mathews-Olson pigments show very good agreement between the results of this method and numerical solutions to the Schrödinger equation.
The quantum-classical Liouville equation describes the dynamics of a quantum subsystem coupled to a classical environment. It has been simulated using various methods, notably, surface-hopping schemes. A representation of this equation in the mapping Hamiltonian basis for the quantum subsystem is derived. The resulting equation of motion, in conjunction with expressions for quantum expectation values in the mapping basis, provides another route to the computation of the nonadiabatic dynamics of observables that does not involve surface-hopping dynamics. The quantum-classical Liouville equation is exact for the spin-boson system. This well-known model is simulated using an approximation to the evolution equation in the mapping basis, and close agreement with exact quantum results is found.
Mixed quantum-classical equations of motion are derived for a quantum subsystem of light (mass m) particles coupled to a classical bath of massive (mass M) particles. The equation of motion follows from a partial Wigner transform over the bath degrees of freedom of the Liouville equation for the full quantum system, followed by an expansion in the small parameter μ=(m/M)1/2 in analogy with the theory of Brownian motion. The resulting mixed quantum-classical Liouville equation accounts for the coupled evolution of the subsystem and bath. The quantum subsystem is represented in an adiabatic (or other) basis and the series solution of the Liouville equation leads to a representation of the dynamics in an ensemble of surface-hopping trajectories. A generalized Pauli master equation for the evolution of the diagonal elements of the density matrix is derived by projection operator methods and its structure is analyzed in terms of surface-hopping trajectories.
We show that the mixed quantum-classical Liouville equation is equivalent to linearizing the forward-backward action in the influence functional. Derivations are provided in terms of either the diabatic or adiabatic basis sets. An application of the mixed quantum-classical Liouville equation for calculating the memory kernel of the generalized quantum master equation is also presented. The accuracy and computational feasibility of such an approach is demonstrated in the case of a two-level system nonlinearly coupled to an anharmonic bath.