Sensitivity of two-dimensional fifth-order Raman response to the mechanism of vibrational mode-mode coupling in liquid molecules

Discretized hierarchical equations of motion in mixed Liouville-Wigner space for two-dimensional vibrational spectroscopies of liquid water

A model of a bulk water system describing the vibrational motion of intramolecular and intermolecular modes is constructed, enabling analysis of its linear and nonlinear vibrational spectra as well as the energy transfer processes between the vibrational modes. The model is described as a system of four interacting anharmonic oscillators nonlinearly coupled to their respective heat baths. To perform a rigorous numerical investigation of the non-Markovian and nonperturbative quantum dissipative dynamics of the model, we derive discretized hierarchical equations of motion in mixed Liouville-Wigner space, with Lagrange-Hermite mesh discretization being employed in the Liouville space of the intramolecular modes and Lagrange-Hermite mesh discretization and Hermite discretization in the Wigner space of the intermolecular modes. One-dimensional infrared and Raman spectra and two-dimensional terahertz-infrared-visible and infrared-infrared-Raman spectra are computed as demonstrations of the quantum dissipative description provided by our model.

Full molecular dynamics simulations of molecular liquids for single-beam spectrally controlled two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy

Single-beam spectrally controlled (SBSC) two-dimensional (2D) Raman spectroscopy is a unique 2D vibrational measurement technique utilizing trains of short pulses that are generated from a single broadband pulse by pulse shaping. This approach overcomes the difficulty of 2D Raman spectroscopy in dealing with small-signal extraction and avoids complicated low-order cascading effects, thus providing a new possibility for measuring the intramolecular and intermolecular modes of molecular liquids using fifth-order 2D Raman spectroscopy. Recently, for quantitatively investigating the mode-mode coupling mechanism, Hurwitz et al. [Opt. Express 28, 3803 (2020)] have developed a new pulse design for this measurement to separate the contributions of the fifth- and third-order polarizations, which are often overlapped in the original single-beam measurements. Here, we describe a method for simulating these original measurements and the new 2D Raman measurements on the basis of a second-order response function approach. We carry out full molecular dynamics simulations for carbon tetrachloride and liquid water using an equilibrium-nonequilibrium hybrid algorithm, with the aim of explaining the key features of the SBSC 2D Raman spectroscopic method from a theoretical point of view. The predicted signal profiles and intensities provide valuable information that can be applied to 2D spectroscopy experiments, allowing them to be carried out more efficiently.

Notes on simulating two-dimensional Raman and terahertz-Raman signals with a full molecular dynamics simulation approach

Recent developments in two-dimensional (2D) THz-Raman and 2D Raman spectroscopies have created the possibility for quantitatively investigating the role of many dynamic and structural aspects of the molecular system. We explain the significant points for properly simulating 2D vibrational spectroscopic studies of intermolecular modes using the full molecular dynamics approach, in particular, regarding the system size, the treatment of the thermostat, and inclusion of an Ewald summation for the induced polarizability. Moreover, using the simulation results for water employing various polarization functions, we elucidate the roles of permanent and induced optical properties in determining the 2D profiles of the signal.

Modeling, calculating, and analyzing multidimensional vibrational spectroscopies

Spectral line shapes in a condensed phase contain information from various dynamic processes that modulate the transition energy, such as microscopic dynamics, inter- and intramolecular couplings, and solvent dynamics. Because nonlinear response functions are sensitive to the complex dynamics of chemical processes, multidimensional vibrational spectroscopies can separate these processes. In multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy, the nonlinear response functions of a molecular dipole or polarizability are measured using ultrashort pulses to monitor inter- and intramolecular vibrational motions. Because a complex profile of such signals depends on the many dynamic and structural aspects of a molecular system, researchers would like to have a theoretical understanding of these phenomena. In this Account, we explore and describe the roles of different physical phenomena that arise from the peculiarities of the system-bath coupling in multidimensional spectra. We also present simple analytical expressions for a weakly coupled multimode Brownian system, which we use to analyze the results obtained by the experiments and simulations. To calculate the nonlinear optical response, researchers commonly use a particular form of a system Hamiltonian fit to the experimental results. The optical responses of molecular vibrational motions have been studied in either an oscillator model or a vibration energy state model. In principle, both models should give the same results as long as the energy states are chosen to be the eigenstates of the oscillator model. The energy state model can provide a simple description of nonlinear optical processes because the diagrammatic Liouville space theory that developed in the electronically resonant spectroscopies can easily handle three or four energy states involved in high-frequency vibrations. However, the energy state model breaks down if we include the thermal excitation and relaxation processes in the dynamics to put the system in a thermal equilibrium state. The roles of these excitation and relaxation processes are different and complicated compared with those in the resonant spectroscopy. Observing the effects of such thermal processes is more intuitive with the oscillator model because the bath modes, which cause the fluctuation and dissipation processes, are also described in the coordinate space. This coordinate space system-bath approach complements a realistic full molecular dynamics simulation approach. By comparing the calculated 2D spectra from the coordinate space model and the energy state model, we can examine the role of thermal processes and anharmonic mode-mode couplings in the energy state model. For this purpose, we employed the Brownian oscillator model with the nonlinear system-bath interaction. Using the hierarchy formalism, we could precisely calculate multidimensional spectra for a single and multimode anharmonic system for inter- and intramolecular vibrational modes.

Fifth-order two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy of liquid water, crystalline ice Ih and amorphous ices: Sensitivity to anharmonic dynamics and local hydrogen bond network structure

The theoretical study of off-resonant fifth-order two-dimensional (2D)-Raman spectroscopy is made to analyze the intermolecular dynamics of liquid and solid water. The 2D-Raman spectroscopy is susceptible to the nonlinear anharmonic dynamics and local hydrogen bond structure in water. It is found that the distinct 2D-Raman response appears as the negative signal near the t(2) axis. The origin of this negative signal for t(2)<15 fs is from the nonlinear polarizability in the librational motions, whereas that for 30 fs<t(2)<150 fs is attributed to the anharmonic translational motions. It is found that the mechanical anharmonicity and nonlinear polarizability couplings among modes clearly can be observed as the sum- and difference-frequency peaks in the 2D-Raman spectrum (i.e., Fourier transforms of the response). The 2D-Raman spectroscopies of ice Ih and amorphous ices, i.e., low density, high density, and very high density amorphous ices, are also investigated. It is found that the 2D-Raman spectroscopy is very sensitive to the anisotropy of the structure of ice Ih. The strong hydrogen bond stretching band is seen in the 2D-Raman spectroscopy of the polarization directions parallel to the c axis, whereas the contributions of the librational motion can be also seen in the spectrum with the polarization directions parallel to the a axis. The 2D-Raman spectroscopy is also found to be also very sensitive to the differences in local hydrogen bond network structures in various amorphous phases.

Modeling vibrational dephasing and energy relaxation of intramolecular anharmonic modes for multidimensional infrared spectroscopies

Starting from a system-bath Hamiltonian in a molecular coordinate representation, we examine an applicability of a stochastic multilevel model for vibrational dephasing and energy relaxation in multidimensional infrared spectroscopy. We consider an intramolecular anharmonic mode nonlinearly coupled to a colored noise bath at finite temperature. The system-bath interaction is assumed linear plus square in the system coordinate, but linear in the bath coordinates. The square-linear system-bath interaction leads to dephasing due to the frequency fluctuation of system vibration, while the linear-linear interaction contributes to energy relaxation and a part of dephasing arises from anharmonicity. To clarify the role and origin of vibrational dephasing and energy relaxation in the stochastic model, the system part is then transformed into an energy eigenstate representation without using the rotating wave approximation. Two-dimensional (2D) infrared spectra are then calculated by solving a low-temperature corrected quantum Fokker-Planck (LTC-QFP) equation for a colored noise bath and by the stochastic theory. In motional narrowing regime, the spectra from the stochastic model are quite different from those from the LTC-QFP. In spectral diffusion regime, however, the 2D line shapes from the stochastic model resemble those from the LTC-QFP besides the blueshifts caused by the dissipation from the colored noise bath. The preconditions for validity of the stochastic theory for molecular vibrational motion are also discussed.

Calculating fifth-order Raman signals for various molecular liquids by equilibrium and nonequilibrium hybrid molecular dynamics simulation algorithms

The fifth-order two-dimensional (2D) Raman signals have been calculated from the equilibrium and nonequilibrium (finite field) molecular dynamics simulations. The equilibrium method evaluates response functions with equilibrium trajectories, while the nonequilibrium method calculates a molecular polarizability from nonequilibrium trajectories for different pulse configurations and sequences. In this paper, we introduce an efficient algorithm which hybridizes the existing two methods to avoid the time-consuming calculations of the stability matrices which are inherent in the equilibrium method. Using nonequilibrium trajectories for a single laser excitation, we are able to dramatically simplify the sampling process. With this approach, the 2D Raman signals for liquid xenon, carbon disulfide, water, acetonitrile, and formamide are calculated and discussed. Intensities of 2D Raman signals are also estimated and the peak strength of formamide is found to be only five times smaller than that of carbon disulfide.

Two-dimensional Raman spectra of atomic solids and liquids

We calculate third- and fifth-order Raman spectra of simple atoms interacting through a soft-core potential by means of molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations. The total polarizability of molecules is treated by the dipole-induced dipole model. Two- and three-body correlation functions of the polarizability at various temperatures are evaluated from equilibrium MD simulations based on a stability matrix formulation. To analyze the processes involved in the spectroscopic measurements, we divide the fifth-order response functions into symmetric and antisymmetric integrated response functions; the symmetric one is written as a simple three-body correlation function, while the antisymmetric one depends on a stability matrix. This analysis leads to a better understanding of the time scales and molecular motions that govern the two-dimensional (2D) signal. The 2D Raman spectra show novel differences between the solid and liquid phases, which are associated with the decay rates of coherent motions. On the other hand, these differences are not observed in the linear Raman spectra.

Multidimensional infrared spectroscopy for molecular vibrational modes with dipolar interactions, anharmonicity, and nonlinearity of dipole moments and polarizability

We present an analytical expression for the linear and nonlinear infrared spectra of interacting molecular vibrational motions. Each of the molecular modes is explicitly represented by a classical damped oscillator on an anharmonic multidimensional potential-energy surface. The two essential interactions, the dipole-dipole (DD) and the dipole-induced-dipole (DID) interactions, are taken into account, and each dipole moment and polarizability are expanded to nonlinear order with respect to the nuclear vibrational coordinate. Our analytical treatment leads to expressions for the contributions of anharmonicity, DD and DID interactions, and the nonlinearity of dipole moments and polarizability elements to the one-, two-, and three-dimensional spectra as separated terms, which allows us to discuss the relative importance of these respective contributions. We can calculate multidimensional signals for various configurations of molecules interacting through DD and DID interactions for different material parameters over the whole range of frequencies. We demonstrate that contributions from the DD and DID interactions and anharmonicity are separately detectable through the third-order three-dimensional IR spectroscopy, whereas they cannot be distinguished from each other in either the linear or the second-order IR spectroscopies. The possibility of obtaining the intra- or intermolecular structural information from multidimensional spectra is also discussed.

Multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy for tunneling processes in a dissipative environment

Simulating tunneling processes as well as their observation are challenging problems for many areas. In this study, we consider a double-well potential system coupled to a heat bath with a linear-linear (LL) and square-linear (SL) system-bath interactions. The LL interaction leads to longitudinal (T1) and transversal (T2) homogeneous relaxations, whereas the SL interaction leads to the inhomogeneous dephasing (T2*) relaxation in the white noise limit with a rotating wave approximation. We discuss the dynamics of the double-well system under infrared (IR) laser excitations from a Gaussian-Markovian quantum Fokker-Planck equation approach, which was developed by generalizing Kubo's stochastic Liouville equation. Analytical expression of the Green function is obtained for a case of two-state-jump modulation by performing the Fourier-Laplace transformation. We then calculate a two-dimensional infrared signal, which is defined by the four-body correlation function of optical dipole, for various noise correlation time, system-bath coupling parameters, and temperatures. It is shown that the bath-induced vibrational excitation and relaxation dynamics between the tunneling splitting levels can be detected as the isolated off-diagonal peaks in the third-order two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy for a specific phase matching condition. Furthermore, this spectroscopy also allows us to directly evaluate the rate constants for tunneling reactions, which relates to the coherence between the splitting levels; it can be regarded as a novel technique for measuring chemical reaction rates. We depict the change of reaction rates as a function of system-bath coupling strength and a temperature through the 2D-IR signal.

Two-dimensional Raman and infrared vibrational spectroscopy for a harmonic oscillator system nonlinearly coupled with a colored noise bath

Multidimensional vibrational response functions of a harmonic oscillator are reconsidered by assuming nonlinear system-bath couplings. In addition to a standard linear-linear (LL) system-bath interaction, we consider a square-linear (SL) interaction. The LL interaction causes the vibrational energy relaxation, while the SL interaction is mainly responsible for the vibrational phase relaxation. The dynamics of the relevant system are investigated by the numerical integration of the Gaussian-Markovian Fokker-Planck equation under the condition of strong couplings with a colored noise bath, where the conventional perturbative approach cannot be applied. The response functions for the fifth-order nonresonant Raman and the third-order infrared (or equivalently the second-order infrared and the seventh-order nonresonant Raman) spectra are calculated under the various combinations of the LL and the SL coupling strengths. Calculated two-dimensional response functions demonstrate that those spectroscopic techniques are very sensitive to the mechanism of the system-bath couplings and the correlation time of the bath fluctuation. We discuss the primary optical transition pathways involved to elucidate the corresponding spectroscopic features and to relate them to the microscopic sources of the vibrational nonlinearity induced by the system-bath interactions. Optical pathways for the fifth-order Raman spectroscopies from an "anisotropic" medium were newly found in this study, which were not predicted by the weak system-bath coupling theory or the standard Brownian harmonic oscillator model.

Superoperator representation of nonlinear response: unifying quantum field and mode coupling theories

Computing response functions by following the time evolution of superoperators in Liouville space (whose vectors are ordinary Hilbert space operators) offers an attractive alternative to the diagrammatic perturbative expansion of many-body equilibrium and nonequilibrium Green's functions. The bookkeeping of time ordering is naturally maintained in real (physical) time, allowing the formulation of Wick's theorem for superoperators, giving a factorization of higher order response functions in terms of two fundamental Green's functions. Backward propagations and analytic continuations using artificial times (Keldysh loops and Matsubara contours) are avoided. A generating functional for nonlinear response functions unifies quantum field theory and the classical mode coupling formalism of nonlinear hydrodynamics and may be used for semiclassical expansions. Classical response functions are obtained without the explicit computation of stability matrices.

Higher-order optical correlation spectroscopy in liquids

Linear optical spectroscopies have long been used to study the behavior of liquids. Laser technology has progressed to the point that it has become possible to perform nonlinear optical experiments that probe higher-order correlation functions in liquids, opening a new window into our understanding of the microscopic details of solution-phase processes. Here we review advances that have been made in recent years in employing higher-order electronic and vibrational spectroscopies to study liquid-state dynamics and structure.

Multidimensional femtosecond correlation spectroscopies of electronic and vibrational excitations

Femtosecond visible and infrared analogues of multiple-pulse nuclear magnetic resonance techniques provide novel snapshot probes into the structure and electronic and vibrational dynamics of complex molecular assemblies such as photosynthetic antennae, proteins, and hydrogen-bonded liquids. A classical-oscillator description of these spectroscopies in terms of interacting quasiparticles (rather than transitions among global eigenstates) is developed and sets the stage for designing new pulse sequences and inverting the multidimensional signals to yield molecular structures. Considerable computational advantages and a clear physical insight into the origin of the response and the relevant coherence sizes are provided by a real-space analysis of the underlying coherence-transfer pathways in Liouville space.

Fifth-order raman spectrum of an atomic liquid: simulation and instantaneous-normal-mode calculation

Experimental artifacts and technical difficulties in carrying out theoretical calculations have consistently frustrated attempts to obtain the two-dimensional (5th-order) Raman spectrum of a liquid. We report here a new theoretical development: the first microscopic numerical simulation of the 5th-order Raman signal in a liquid. Comparison with an instantaneous-normal-mode treatment, a fully microscopic model which interprets liquid dynamics as arising from coherent harmonic modes, shows that the 5th-order spectrum reveals profound effects stemming from dynamical anharmonicity.