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The article surveys the development of novel mathematical concepts and algorithmic approaches based thereon in view of their possible applicability to biomolecular design. Both a first deterministic approach, based on the Frobenius-Perron operator corresponding to the flow of the Hamiltonian dynamics, and later stochastic approaches, based on a spatial Markov operator or on Langevin dynamics, can be subsumed under the unified mathematical roof of the transfer operator approach to effective dynamics of molecular systems. The key idea of constructing specific transfer operators especially taylored for the purpose of conformational dynamics appears as the red line throughout the paper. Different steps of the algorithm are exemplified by a trinucleotide molecular system as a small representative of possible RNA drug molecules.
This paper makes use of statistical mechanics in order to construct effective potentials for Molecular Dynamics for systems with nonstationary thermal embedding. The usual approach requires the computation of a statistical ensemble of trajectories. In the context of the new model the evaluation of only one single trajectory is sufficient for the determination of all interesting quantities, which leads to an enormous reduction of computational effort. This single trajectory is the solution to a corrected Hamiltonian system with a new potential $\tilde{V}$. It turns out that $\tilde{V}$ can be defined as spatial average of the original potential $V$. Therefore, the Hamiltonian dynamics defined by $\tilde{V}$ is smoother than that effected by $V$, i.e. a numerical integration of its evolution in time allows larger stepsizes. Thus, the presented approach introduces a Molecular Dynamics with smoothed trajectories originating from spatial averaging. This is deeply connected to time--averaging in Molecular Dynamics. These two types of {\em smoothed Molecular Dynamics} share advantages (gain in efficiency, reduction of error amplification, increased stability) and problems (necessity of closing relations and adaptive control schemes) which will be explained in detail.
This paper presents a mathematical derivation of a model for quantum-classical molecular dynamics (QCMD) as a {\em partial} classical limit of the full Schrödinger equation. This limit is achieved in two steps: separation of the full wavefunction and short wave asymptotics for its ``classical'' part. Both steps can be rigorously justified under certain smallness assumptions. Moreover, the results imply that neither the time-dependent self-consistent field method nor mixed quantum-semi-classical models lead to better approximations than QCMD since they depend on the separation step, too. On the other hand, the theory leads to a characterization of the critical situations in which the models are in danger of largely deviating from the solution of the full Schrödinger equation. These critical situations are exemplified in an illustrative numerical simulation: the collinear collision of an Argon atom with a harmonic quantum oscillator.
Models for occupation dynamics in discrete quantum systems lead to large or even infinite systems of ordinary differential equations. Some new mathematical techniques, developed for the simulation of chemical processes, make a numerical solution of countable systems of ordinary differential equations possible. Both, a basic physical concept for the construction of such systems and the structure of the numerical tools for solving them are presented. These conceptual aspects are illustrated by a simulation of an occupation process from spectroscopy. In this example the structures of rotation spectra observed in infrared spectroscopy are explained and some possibilities for an extension of the model are shown.
In molecular dynamics applications there is a growing interest in mixed quantum-classical models. The {\em quantum-classical Liouville equation} (QCL) describes most atoms of the molecular system under consideration by means of classical phase space density but an important, small portion of the system by means of quantum mechanics. The QCL is derived from the full quantum dynamical (QD) description by applying the Wigner transform to the classical part'' of the system only. We discuss the conditions under which the QCL model approximates the full QD evolution of the system. First, analysis of the asymptotic properties of the Wigner transform shows that solving the QCL yields a first order approximation of full quantum dynamics. Second, we discuss the adiabatic limit of the QCL. This discussion shows that the QCL solutions may be interpretated as classical phase space densities, at least near the adiabatic limit. Third, it is demonstrated that the QCL yields good approximations of {\em non-adiabatic quantum effects,} especially near so-called {\em avoided crossings} where most quantum-classical models fail.
\noindent In molecular dynamics applications there is a growing interest in so-called {\em mixed quantum-classical} models. These models describe most atoms of the molecular system by the means of classical mechanics but an important, small portion of the system by the means of quantum mechanics. A particularly extensively used model, the QCMD model, consists of a {\em singularly perturbed}\/ Schrödinger equation nonlinearly coupled to a classical Newtonian equation of motion. This paper studies the singular limit of the QCMD model for finite dimensional Hilbert spaces. The main result states that this limit is given by the time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer model of quantum theory---provided the Hamiltonian under consideration has a smooth spectral decomposition. This result is strongly related to the {\em quantum adiabatic theorem}. The proof uses the method of {\em weak convergence} by directly discussing the density matrix instead of the wave functions. This technique avoids the discussion of highly oscillatory phases. On the other hand, the limit of the QCMD model is of a different nature if the spectral decomposition of the Hamiltonian happens not to be smooth. We will present a generic example for which the limit set is not a unique trajectory of a limit dynamical system but rather a {\em funnel} consisting of infinitely many trajectories.
The function of many important biomolecules is related to their dynamic properties and their ability to switch between different {\em conformations}, which are understood as {\em almost invariant} or {\em metastable} subsets of the positional state space of the system. Recently, the present authors and their coworkers presented a novel algorithmic scheme for the direct numerical determination of such metastable subsets and the transition probability between them. Although being different in most aspects, this method exploits the same basic idea as {\sc Dellnitz} and {\sc Junge} in their approach to almost invariance in discrete dynamical systems: the almost invariant sets are computed via certain eigenvectors of the Markov operators associated with the dynamical behavior. In the present article we analyze the application of this approach to (high--friction) Langevin models describing the dynamical behavior of molecular systems coupled to a heat bath. We will see that this can be related to theoretical results for (symmetric) semigroups of Markov operators going back to {\sc Davies}. We concentrate on a comparison of our approach in respect to random perturbations of dynamical systems.
An analysis of relaxation oscillations in local Er-doped optically pumped lasers is reported. It is based on a time dependent rate equation model for a quasi-two-level-system with wavelength dependent emission- and absorption cross-sections. For the first time a numerically reliable simulation of the characteristic laser behaviour was possible: the onset and decay of the oscillations, the time-dependent repetition period and the steady state signal output power. The characteristic waveguide parameters, as the erbium-concentration profile, the polarization dependent pump- and signal mode intensity profiles, the scattering losses, the cavity length and the front and rear reflectivities were all taken into account. The basic formulas are general and can also be used for Er-doped fiber lasers. Mathematically the problem can be characterized as a large boundary value problem, which can approximately be replaced by a stiff initial value problem of ordinary differential equations. The used algorithmic replacement procedure is motivated and discussed in detail. Here, pump- and signal evolution versus time are presented for an planar Er-diffused $\rm Ti$:$\rm LiNbO_{3}$ waveguide laser. The numerically obtained results show a nearly quantitative agreement with experimental investigations. Simultanously they supply knowledge about non-measureable (space-dependent population dynamic of the Er-atoms) and till today not measured data (dynamical response of the laser by a sharp peak in the external pump).
It was revealed that the QCMD model is of canonical Hamiltonian form with symplectic structure, which implies the conservation of energy. An efficient and reliable integrator for transfering these properties to the discrete solution is the symplectic and explicit {\sc Pickaback} algorithm. The only drawback of this kind of integrator is the small stepsize in time induced by the splitting techniques used to discretize the quantum evolution operator. Recent investigations concerning Krylov iteration techniques result in alternative approaches which overcome this difficulty for a wide range of problems. By using iterative methods in the evaluation of the quantum time propagator, these techniques allow for the stepsize to adapt to the coupling between the classical and the quantum mechanical subsystem. This yields a drastic reduction of the numerical effort. The pros and cons of both approaches as well as the suitable applications are discussed in the last part.
In molecular dynamics applications there is a growing interest in mixed quantum-classical models. The article is concerned with the so-called QCMD model. This model describes most atoms of the molecular system by the means of classical mechanics but an important, small portion of the system by the means of a wavefunction. We review the conditions under which the QCMD model is known to approximate the full quantum dynamical evolution of the system. In most quantum-classical simulations the {\em Born-Oppenheimer model} (BO) is used. In this model, the wavefunction is adiabatically coupled to the classical motion which leads to serious approximation deficiencies with respect to non-adiabatic effects in the fully quantum dynamical description of the system. In contrast to the BO model, the QCMD model does include non-adiabatic processes, e.g., transitions between the energy levels of the quantum system. It is demonstrated that, in mildly non-adiabatic scenarios, so-called {\em surface hopping} extensions of QCMD simulations yield good approximations of the non-adiabatic effects in full quantum dynamics. The algorithmic strategy of such extensions of QCMD is explained and the crucial steps of its realization are discussed with special emphasis on the numerical problems caused by highly oscillatory phase effects.