Electronic diabatic states

The simplest way to write down the 2 x 2 Hamiltonian for two states such that its eigenvalues coincide at trigonally symmetric points in (x,y) or (q, ( )), plane is to consider the matrices of vibrational-electronic coupling of the e Jahn-Teller problem in a diabatic electronic state representation. These have been constructed by Haiperin, and listed in Appendix TV of [157], up to the third... 

In coordinate representation, there exists alternative base representations, adiabatic and diabatic. Both representations are equivalent if the basis are complete. For a thorough discussion on adiabatic-diabatic electronic state transformations the reader is referred to the work by Baer [49, 50], see also the work by Chapuisat et al. [51] In this... 

Chapuisat, X., Nauts, A. and Dehareng-Dao, D. Adiabatic-to-diabatic electronic state transformation and curvilinear nuclear coordinates for molecular systems, Chem.Phys.Lett., 95 (1983), 139-143... 

To describe the electronic relaxation dynamics of a photoexcited molecular system, it is instructive to consider the time-dependent population of an electronic state, which can be defined in a diabatic or the adiabatic representation [163]. The population probability of the diabatic electronic state /jt) is defined as the expectation value of the diabatic projector... 

Figure 1. Quantum-mechanical (thick lines) and mean-field-trajectory (thin lines) calculations obtained for Model 1 describing the S2 — Si internal-conversion process in pyrazine. Shown are the time-dependent population probabilities Pf t) and Pf (t) of the initially prepared adiabatic and diabatic electronic state, respectively, as well as the mean momenta pi (t) and P2 t) of the two totally symmetric modes Vi and V( of the model.

Figure 3. Time-dependent simulations of the nonadiabatic photoisomerization dynamics exhibited by Model III, comparing results of the mean-field-trajectory method (dashed lines), the surface-hopping approach (thin lines), and exact quanmm calculations (full lines). Shown are the population probabilities of the initially prepared (a) adiabatic and (b) diabatic electronic state, respectively, as well as (c) the probability Pdsit) that the sytem remains in the initially prepared cis conformation.

Figure 7. Comparison of SH (thin solid line), MFT (dashed line), and quantum path-integral (solid line with dots) calculations (Ref. 198) obtained for Model Va describing electron transfer in solution. Shown is the time-dependent population probability Pf t) of the initially prepared diabatic electronic state.

Figure 11. Time-dependent population probability of the upper (a) adiabatic and (b) diabatic electronic state of Model 1. The quantum-mechanical results (thick lines) are compared to SH results obtained directly from the electronic coefficients (dashed lines) and to SH results obtained from binned coefficients (thin solid lines), reflecting the percentage N2(t) of trajectories propagating on the upper adiabatic surface. Panel (c) shows the absolute number of successful (thick hue) and rejected (thin line) surface hops occurring in the SH calculation.

In this article, we present an ab initio approach, suitable for condensed phase simulations, that combines Hartree-Fock molecular orbital theory and modem valence bond theory which is termed as MOVB to describe the potential energy surface (PES) for reactive systems. We first provide a briefreview of the block-localized wave function (BLW) method that is used to define diabatic electronic states. Then, the MOVB model is presented in association with combined QM/MM simulations. The method is demonstrated by model proton transfer reactions in the gas phase and solution as well as a model Sn2 reaction in water. 

The key to get a diabatic electronic state is a strict constraint i.e. keep local symmetry elements invariant. For ethylene, let us start from the cis con-former case. The nuclear geometry of the attractor must be on the (y,z)-plane according to Fig.l. The reaction coordinate must be the dis-rotatory displacement. Due to the nature of the LCAO-MO model in quantum computing chemistry, the closed shell filling of the HOMO must change into a closed shell of the LUMO beyond 0=n/4. The symmetry of the diabatic wave function is hence respected. Mutatis mutandis, the trans conformer wave function before n/4 corresponds to a double filling of the LUMO beyond the n/4 point on fills the HOMO twice. At n/4 there is the diradical singlet and triplet base wavefunctions. 

The import of diabatic electronic states for dynamical treatments of conical intersecting BO potential energy surfaces is well acknowledged. This intersection is characterized by the non-existence of symmetry element determining its location in nuclear space [25]. This problem is absent in the GED approach. Because the symmetries of the cis and trans conformer are irreducible to each other, a regularization method without a correct reaction coordinate does not make sense. The slope at the (conic) intersection is well defined in the GED scheme. Observe, however, that for closed shell structures, the direct coupling of both states is zero. A configuration interaction is necessary to obtain an appropriate description in other words, correlation states such as diradical ones and the full excited BB state in the AA local minimum cannot be left out the scheme. 

Bianco et al. [23] proposed a direct VB wavefunction method combined with a PCM approach to study chemical reactions in solution. Their approach is based on a Cl expansion of the wavefunction in terms of VB resonance structures, treated as diabatic electronic states. Each diabatic component is assumed to be unchanged by the interaction with the solvent the solvent effects are exclusively reflected by the variation of the coefficients of the VB expansion. The advantage of this choice is related to its easy interpretability. The method has been applied to the study of the several SN1/2 reactions. 

The amplitude A, (t) results from the set of relations, Eq. (18). As the transition interchanges the indices of the adiabatic and diabatic electronic states, it is obvious that... 

We have described a mixed MOVB model for describing the potential energy surface of reactive systems, and presented results from applications to SN2 reactions in aqueous solution. The MOVB model is based on a BLW method to define diabatic electronic state functions. Then, a configuration interaction Hamiltonian is constructed using these diabatic VB states as basis functions. The computed geometrical and energetic results for these systems are in accord with previous experimental and theoretical studies. These studies show that the MOVB model can be adequately used as a mapping potential to derive solvent reaction coordinates for... 

An analogous rate expression has been derived for non-adiabatic electron transfer in the presence of an inner-sphere solute mode that is not coupled to the solvent. In this case, the VB matrix is the same as that in Eq. 6, with a dependence of the diagonal gas-phase matrix elements (Ao), on an inner-sphere solute mode q. The inner-sphere vibrational wave functions are calculated for each diabatic electronic state by a solution of the Schrodinger equation ... 

In chemical dynamics, one can distinguish two qualitatively different types of processes electron transfer and reactions involving bond rearrangement the latter involve heavy-particle (proton or heavier) motion in the formal reaction coordinate. The zero-order model for the electron transfer case is pre-organization of the nuclear coordinates (often predominantly the solvent nuclear coordinates) followed by pure electronic motion corresponding to a transition between diabatic electronic states. The zero-order model for the second type of process is transition state theory (or, preferably, variational transition state theory ) in the lowest adiabatic electronic state (i.e., on the lowest-energy Bom-Oppenheimer potential energy surface). 

Diabatic electronic states (previously termed crude adiabatic states ) are defined as slowly varying functions of the nuclear geometry in the vicinity of the reference geometry [9-11]. The final vibronic-coupling Hamiltonian is obtained by adding the nuclear kinetic-energy operator which is assumed to be diagonal in the diabatic representation. 

Computationally, the present approach rests on the QVC coupling scheme in conjunction with coupled-cluster electronic structure calculations for the vibronic Hamiltonian, and on the MCDTH wave packet propagation method for the nuclear dynamics. In combination, these are powerful tools for studying such systems with 10-20 nuclear degrees of freedom. (This holds especially in view of so-called multilayer MCTDH implementations which further enhance the computational efficiency [130,131].) If the LVC or QVC schemes are not applicable, related variants of constructing diabatic electronic states are available [132,133], which may extend the realm of application from the present spectroscopic and photophysical also to photochemical problems. Their feasibility and further applications remain to be investigated in future work. 

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