A transition state real wave packet approach for obtaining the cumulative reaction probability

CHEMICAL REACTION DYNAMICS WITH REAL WAVE PACKETS

An approach to carrying out accurate quantum dynamics simulations of chemical reactions, termed the real wave packet (RWP) method, is outlined. The method focuses on propagation of just the real part of a complex-valued wave packet, halving computational memory and effort requirements in comparison with comparable high accuracy quantum propagation methods. Applications to 3-atom and 4-atom chemical reactions are reviewed. Potential future directions are indicated.

A new expression for the direct quantum mechanical evaluation of the thermal rate constant

Based on the formalism of Miller, Schwartz, and Tromp [J. Chem. Phys. 79, 4889(1983)], we derive a new expression for the thermal rate constant for a chemical reaction. The expression involves an unperturbed, i.e., reactant or product channel Boltzmann operator for the imaginary time propagation, making it possible to compute efficiently the rate constant for a range of temperatures. We illustrate numerical aspects with an extensive study of the one-dimensional Eckart barrier problem, as well as a study of the three-dimensional (J = 0) D + H2 problem.

Theoretical transition probabilities for the A 1Pi-X 1Sigma+ system of AlNC and AlCN isomers based on global potential energy surfaces

Transition probabilities were evaluated for the X (1)Sigma(+)-A (1)Pi system of AlNC and AlCN isomers to analyze photoabsorption and fluorescence spectra. The global potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the X (1)Sigma(+) and A (1)Pi (1 (1)A("),2 (1)A(')) electronic states were determined by the multireference configuration interaction calculations with the Davidson correction. Einstein's B coefficients were computed by quantum vibrational calculations using the three-dimensional PESs of these states and the electronic transition moments for the X-1 (1)A(") and X-2 (1)A(') systems. Einstein's B coefficients obtained for AlNC or AlCN exhibit that the Al-N or Al-C stretching mode is strongly enhanced in the transition. The absorption and fluorescence spectra calculated for the X-1 (1)A(") and X-2 (1)A(') systems are discussed comparing with the observed photoexcitation and fluorescence spectra. The lifetimes for the several vibrational levels of the A (1)Pi state were calculated to be ca. 7 ns for AlNC and 21-24 ns for AlCN from the fluorescence decay rates of the 1 (1)A(")-X and 2 (1)A(')-X emissions.

Cumulative isomerization probability studied by various transition state wave packet methods including the MCTDH algorithm. Benchmark: HCN→CNH isomerization

The 3D cumulative isomerization probability N(E) for the transfer of a light particle between two atoms is computed by one time-independent and two time-dependent versions of the transition state wave packet (TSWP) method. The time-independent method is based on the direct expansion of the microcanonical projection operator on Chebyshev polynomials. In the time-dependent TSWP methods, the propagations are carried out by the split operator scheme and the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) algorithm. This is the very first implementation of the TSWP method in the Heidelberg MCTDH package [G. W. Worth, M. H. Beck, A. Jackle, and H.-D. Meyer, The MCDTH package, Version 8.2 (2000); H.-D Meyer, Version 8.3 (2002). See http://www.pci.uni-heidelberg.de/tc/usr/mctdh/]. The benchmark is the HCN-->CNH isomerization for zero total angular momentum. Particular insights are given into the tunneling region. In larger systems, the time-dependent version of TSWP making use of the MCTDH algorithm will permit to treat more and more modes quantum mechanically, for very accurate results. Therefore, it was important to calibrate the implementation. Besides, we also assess the efficiency of a reduced dimensionality approach by comparing the new exact 3D calculations of N(E) for the HCN-->CNH isomerization with results obtained via 1D or 2D active subspaces. This suggests that, it should be possible to take directly benefit of the present 3D approaches, adapted for triatomic Jacobi coordinates to compute N(E) for H-transfer in larger systems, via three active coordinates. The prerequisite is then the simplification of the reduced 3D kinetic energy operator with rigid constraint to take the form corresponding to a pseudo triatomic system in Jacobi coordinates with effective masses. This last step is checked in the methoxy radical and malonaldehyde. Finally, different ways to obtain reliable eigenvectors of the flux operator associated with a dividing surface are revisited.