Communication: Constant uncertainty molecular dynamics: A simple and efficient algorithm to incorporate quantum nature into a real-time molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract

We propose a novel molecular dynamics (MD) algorithm for approximately dealing with a nuclear quantum dynamics in a real-time MD simulation. We have found that real-time dynamics of the ensemble of classical particles acquires quantum nature by introducing a constant quantum mechanical uncertainty constraint on its classical dynamics. The constant uncertainty constraint is handled by the Lagrange multiplier method and implemented into a conventional MD algorithm. The resulting constant uncertainty molecular dynamics (CUMD) is applied to the calculation of quantum position autocorrelation functions on quartic and Morse potentials. The test calculations show that CUMD gives better performance than ring-polymer MD because of the inclusion of the quantum zero-point energy during real-time evolution as well as the quantum imaginary-time statistical effect stored in an initial condition. The CUMD approach will be a possible starting point for new real-time quantum dynamics simulation in condensed phase.