Hermiticity of Hamiltonian Matrix using the Fourier Basis Sets in Bond-Bond-Angle and Radau Coordinates

In quantum calculations a transformed Hamiltonian is often used to avoid singularities in a certain basis set or to reduce computation time. We demonstrate for the Fourier basis set that the Hamiltonian can not be arbitrarily transformed. Otherwise, the Hamiltonian matrix becomes non-hermitian, which may lead to numerical problems. Methods for correctly constructing the Hamiltonian operators are discussed. Specific examples involving the Fourier basis functions for a triatomic molecular Hamiltonian (J=0) in bond-bond angle and Radau coordinates are presented. For illustration, absorption spectra are calculated for the OClO molecule using the time-dependent wavepacket method. Numerical results indicate that the non-hermiticity of the Hamiltonian matrix may also result from integration errors. The conclusion drawn here is generally useful for quantum calculation using basis expansion method using quadrature scheme.