Quantum trajectories in complex phase space: multidimensional barrier transmission

The quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the action function is approximately solved by propagating individual Lagrangian quantum trajectories in complex-valued phase space. Equations of motion for these trajectories are derived through use of the derivative propagation method (DPM), which leads to a hierarchy of coupled differential equations for the action function and its spatial derivatives along each trajectory. In this study, complex-valued classical trajectories (second order DPM), along which is transported quantum phase information, are used to study low energy barrier transmission for a model two-dimensional system involving either an Eckart or Gaussian barrier along the reaction coordinate coupled to a harmonic oscillator. The arrival time for trajectories to reach the transmitted (product) region is studied. Trajectories launched from an "equal arrival time surface," defined as an isochrone, all reach the real-valued subspace in the transmitted region at the same time. The Rutherford-type diffraction of trajectories around poles in the complex extended Eckart potential energy surface is described. For thin barriers, these poles are close to the real axis and present problems for computing the transmitted density. In contrast, for the Gaussian barrier or the thick Eckart barrier where the poles are further from the real axis, smooth transmitted densities are obtained. Results obtained using higher-order quantum trajectories (third order DPM) are described for both thick and thin barriers, and some issues that arise for thin barriers are examined.     

Complex trajectories sans isochrones: quantum barrier scattering with rectilinear constant velocity trajectories

One of the major obstacles in employing complex-valued trajectory methods for quantum barrier scattering calculations is the search for isochrones. In this study, complex-valued derivative propagation method trajectories in the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian frame are employed to solve the complex Hamilton-Jacobi equation for quantum barrier scattering problems employing constant velocity trajectories moving along rectilinear paths whose initial points can be in the complex plane or even along the real axis. It is shown that this effectively removes the need for isochrones for barrier transmission problems. Model problems tested include the Eckart, Gaussian, and metastable quadratic+cubic potentials over a variety of wave packet energies. For comparison, the "exact" solution is computed from the time-dependent Schrodinger equation via pseudospectral methods.     

Bohmian mechanics with complex action: a new trajectory-based formulation of quantum mechanics

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in Bohmian mechanics as a numerical tool because of its local dynamics, which suggest the possibility of significant computational advantages for the simulation of large quantum systems. However, closer inspection of the Bohmian formulation reveals that the nonlocality of quantum mechanics has not disappeared-it has simply been swept under the rug into the quantum force. In this paper we present a new formulation of Bohmian mechanics in which the quantum action, S, is taken to be complex. This leads to a single equation for complex S, and ultimately complex x and p but there is a reward for this complexification-a significantly higher degree of localization. The quantum force in the new approach vanishes for Gaussian wave packet dynamics, and its effect on barrier tunneling processes is orders of magnitude lower than that of the classical force. In fact, the current method is shown to be a rigorous extension of generalized Gaussian wave packet dynamics to give exact quantum mechanics. We demonstrate tunneling probabilities that are in virtually perfect agreement with the exact quantum mechanics down to 10(-7) calculated from strictly localized quantum trajectories that do not communicate with their neighbors. The new formulation may have significant implications for fundamental quantum mechanics, ranging from the interpretation of non-locality to measures of quantum complexity.     

Probabilistic evolution approach to the expectation value dynamics of quantum mechanical operators,part I: integral representation of Kronecker power series and multivariate Hausdorff moment problems

This is the first one of two companion papers focusing on the establishment of a new path for the expectation value dynamics of the quantum mechanical operators. The main goal of these studies is to do quantum mechanics without explicitly solving Schrödinger wave equation, in other words, without using wave functions except their initially given forms. This goal is achieved by using Ehrenfest theorem and utilizing probabilistic evolution approach (PEA). PEA, first introduced by Metin Demiralp, is a method providing solutions to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations by transforming them to a set of linear ODEs at the cost of denumerably infinite dimensionality. It is recently shown that this method produces analytic solutions, if the initial conditions are given appropriately at some special cases. However, generalization of these conditions to the quantum mechanical applications is not straightforward due to the dispersion of the quantum mechanical systems. For this purpose, multivariate moment problems for the integral representation of the Kronecker power series are introduced and then solved yielding to more specific and precise convergence analysis for the quantum mechanical applications.     

Analysis of barrier scattering with real and complex quantum trajectories

In this study, an analysis of the one-dimensional Eckart and Gaussian barrier scattering problems is undertaken using approximate quantum trajectories. Individual quantum trajectories are computed using the derivative propagation method (DPM). Both real-valued and complex-valued DPM quantum trajectories are employed. Of interest are the deep tunneling and the higher energy barrier scattering problems in cases in which the scattering barrier is "thick" by comparison to the width of the initial wave packet. For higher energy scattering problems, it is found that real-valued DPM trajectories very accurately reproduce the transmitted probability densities at low orders when compared to large fixed-grid calculations. However, higher orders must be introduced to obtain good probabilities for deep tunneling problems. Complex-valued DPM is found to accurately reproduce transmitted probability densities at low order for both the deep tunneling and the higher energy scattering problems. Of particular note, complex-classical trajectories are found to very nearly give the exact result for the deep barrier tunneling scattering problem, and the complex DPM converges well at high orders for these thick barrier scattering problems. A variety of analyses are performed to elucidate the dynamics of complex-valued DPM trajectories. The complex-extended barrier potentials are examined in detail, including an analysis of the complex force. Of particular interest are initial conditions for complex-valued DPM trajectories known as isochrones. All trajectories launched from an isochrone arrive on the real axis on the transmitted side of the barrier at the same time. The computation and properties of isochrones as well as the behavior of the initial wave packet in the complex plane are also examined.     

The supersymmetric quantum mechanics theory and Darboux transformation for the Morse oscillator with an approximate rotational term

Anharmonic potentials with a rotational terms are widely used in quantum chemistry of diatomic systems, since they include the influence of centrifugal force on motions of atomic nuclei. For the first time the Taylor-expanded renormalized Morse oscillator is studied within the framework of supersymmetric quantum mechanics theory. The mathematical formalism of supersymmetric quantum mechanics and the Darboux transformation are used to determine the bound states for the Morse anharmonic oscillator with an approximate rotational term. The factorization method has been applied in order to obtain analytical forms of creation and annihilation operators as well as Witten superpotential and isospectral potentials. Moreover, the radial Schrödinger equation with the Darboux potential has been converted into an exactly solvable form of second-order Sturm–Liouville differential equation. To this aim the Darboux transformation has been used. The efficient algebraic approach proposed can be used to solve the Schrödinger equation for other anharmonic exponential potentials with rotational terms.     

Multidimensional quantum trajectories: applications of the derivative propagation method

In a previous publication [J. Chem. Phys. 118, 9911 (2003)], the derivative propagation method (DPM) was introduced as a novel numerical scheme for solving the quantum hydrodynamic equations of motion (QHEM) and computing the time evolution of quantum mechanical wave packets. These equations are a set of coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations governing the time evolution of the real-valued functions C and S in the complex action, S=C(r,t) + iS(r,t)/Planck's over 2pi, where Psi(r,t)=exp(S). Past numerical solutions to the QHEM were obtained via ensemble trajectory propagation, where the required first- and second-order spatial derivatives were evaluated using fitting techniques such as moving least squares. In the DPM, however, equations of motion are developed for the derivatives themselves, and a truncated set of these are integrated along quantum trajectories concurrently with the original QHEM equations for C and S. Using the DPM quantum effects can be included at various orders of approximation; no spatial fitting is involved; there is no basis set expansion; and single, uncoupled quantum trajectories can be propagated (in parallel) rather than in correlated ensembles. In this study, the DPM is extended from previous one-dimensional (1D) results to calculate transmission probabilities for 2D and 3D wave packet evolution on coupled Eckart barrier/harmonic oscillator surfaces. In the 2D problem, the DPM results are compared to standard numerical integration of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. Also in this study, the practicality of implementing the DPM for systems with many more degrees of freedom is discussed.     

Quantum algorithm for obtaining the energy spectrum of molecular systems

Simulating a quantum system is more efficient on a quantum computer than on a classical computer. The time required for solving the Schr?dinger equation to obtain molecular energies has been demonstrated to scale polynomially with system size on a quantum computer, in contrast to the well-known result of exponential scaling on a classical computer. In this paper, we present a quantum algorithm to obtain the energy spectrum of molecular systems based on the multiconfigurational self-consistent field (MCSCF) wave function. By using a MCSCF wave function as the initial guess, the excited states are accessible. Entire potential energy surfaces of molecules can be studied more efficiently than if the simpler Hartree-Fock guess was employed. We show that a small increase of the MCSCF space can dramatically increase the success probability of the quantum algorithm, even in regions of the potential energy surface that are far from the equilibrium geometry. For the treatment of larger systems, a multi-reference configuration interaction approach is suggested. We demonstrate that such an algorithm can be used to obtain the energy spectrum of the water molecule.     

Time dependent quantum dynamics study of the O++H2(v=0,j=0)-->OH++H ion-molecule reaction and isotopic variants (D2,HD)

The time dependent real wave packet method using the helicity decoupling approximation was used to calculate the cross section evolution with collision energy (excitation function) of the O++H2(v=0,j=0)-->OH++H reaction and its isotopic variants with D2 and HD, using the best available ab initio analytical potential energy surface. The comparison of the calculated excitation functions with exact quantum results and experimental data showed that the present quantum dynamics approach is a very useful tool for the study of the selected and related systems, in a quite wide collision energy interval (approximately 0.0-1.1 eV), involving a much lower computational cost than the quantum exact methods and without a significant loss of accuracy in the cross sections.     

Exact solution of multidimensional hyper‐radial Schrödinger equation for many‐electron quantum systems

In quantum theory, solving Schrödinger equation analytically for larger atomic and molecular systems with cluster of electrons and nuclei persists to be a tortuous challenge. Here, we consider, Schrödinger equation in arbitrary N‐dimensional space corresponding to inverse‐power law potential function originating from a multitude of interactions participating in a many‐electron quantum system for exact solution within the framework of Frobenius method via the formulation of an ansatz to the hyper‐radial wave function. Analytical expressions for energy spectra, and hyper‐radial wave functions in terms of known coefficients of inverse‐power potential function, and wave function parameters have been obtained. A generalized two‐term recurrence relation for power series expansion coefficients has been established. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Computational method for the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation: bound states in one dimension

An accurate computational method for the one-dimensional quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation is presented. The Mobius propagation scheme, which can accurately pass through singularities, is used to numerically integrate the quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the quantum momentum function. Bound state wave functions are then synthesized from the phase integral using the antithetic cancellation technique. Through this procedure, not only the quantum momentum functions but also the wave functions are accurately obtained. This computational approach is demonstrated through two solvable examples: the harmonic oscillator and the Morse potential. The excellent agreement between the computational and the exact analytical results shows that the method proposed here may be useful for solving similar quantum mechanical problems.     

Semiclassical initial value series solution of the spin boson problem

A numerical solution for the quantum dynamics of the spin boson problem is obtained using the semiclassical initial value series representation approach to the quantum dynamics. The zeroth order term of the series is computed using the new forward-backward representation for correlation functions presented in the preceding adjacent paper. This leads to a rapid convergence of the Monte Carlo sampling, as compared to previous attempts. The zeroth order results are already quite accurate. The first order term of the series is small, demonstrating the rapid convergence of the semiclassical initial value representation series. This is the first time that the first order term in the semiclassical initial value representation series has been converged for systems with the order of 50 degrees of freedom.     

An analysis of the accuracy of an initial value representation surface hopping wave function in the interaction and asymptotic regions

The behavior of an initial value representation surface hopping wave function is examined. Since this method is an initial value representation for the semiclassical solution of the time independent Schrodinger equation for nonadiabatic problems, it has computational advantages over the primitive surface hopping wave function. The primitive wave function has been shown to provide transition probabilities that accurately compare with quantum results for model problems. The analysis presented in this work shows that the multistate initial value representation surface hopping wave function should approach the primitive result in asymptotic regions and provide transition probabilities with the same level of accuracy for scattering problems as the primitive method.     

Effects of complex-valued electronic wave functions on nuclear motions

Moleculer species and colliding groups of atoms are considered for which the electronic wave functions are complex-valued, having arguments that depend parametrically on the nuclear coordinates. The effective Hamiltonian for nuclear motions in the adiabatic approximation that arises in the present case differs from the ordinary Born–Oppeneheimer Hamiltonian, the latter being obtained when restriction to real-valued electronic functions is made. The asymptotic boundary conditions imposed in collision theory lead to in- and out- states [8], and hence to complex-valued wave functions in the coordinate representation. The study of the influence of electron–molecule scattering on nuclear motions therefore necessitates the use of the new effective Hamiltonian, which leads to results differing from those predicted on the basis of the Born–Oppenheimer operator. It is shown that momentum-dependent potentials occurring in the new Hamiltonian might cause “distortions” to the vibrational patterns of some electron–molecule metastable states. Also, these terms can give rise to non-Born–Oppenheimer resonances when motions in an internuclear coordinate become unbounded. We derive expressions for the relevant level widths and line shapes, showing them to be subject to an isotope effect. Even when real-valued electronic functions may be used, the selections of complex-valued functions in their linear span is still optional. Although exact treatments lead to the same results in both real and complex cases we show how the choice of the argument of the electronic function to be non-zero and dependent on nuclear coordinates may be useful for the application of certain approximation schemes. It is demonstrated that for certain systems a suitable choice of the argument assures convergence when the related Lippmann–Schwinger Equation is iterated. It is also shown that in this way an nth order term in the series expansion of the T matrix [8] for moleculer systems can be made negligibly small.     

Nuclear-electronic orbital nonorthogonal configuration interaction approach

The nuclear-electronic orbital nonorthogonal configuration interaction (NEO-NOCI) approach is presented. In this framework, the hydrogen nuclei are treated quantum mechanically on the same level as the electrons, and a mixed nuclear-electronic time-independent Schrodinger equation is solved with molecular orbital techniques. For hydrogen transfer systems, the transferring hydrogen is represented by two basis function centers to allow delocalization of the nuclear wave function. In the two-state NEO-NOCI approach, the ground and excited state delocalized nuclear-electronic wave functions are expressed as linear combinations of two nonorthogonal localized nuclear-electronic wave functions obtained at the NEO-Hartree-Fock level. The advantages of the NEO-NOCI approach are the removal of the adiabatic separation between the electrons and the quantum nuclei, the computational efficiency, the potential for systematic improvement by enhancing the basis sets and number of configurations, and the applicability to a broad range of chemical systems. The tunneling splitting is determined by the energy difference between the two delocalized vibronic states. The hydrogen tunneling splittings calculated with the NEO-NOCI approach for the [He-H-He]+ model system with a range of fixed He-He distances are in excellent agreement with NEO-full CI and Fourier grid calculations. These benchmarking calculations indicate that NEO-NOCI is a promising approach for the calculation of delocalized, bilobal hydrogen wave functions and the corresponding hydrogen tunneling splittings.