High temperature molecular dynamics

Temperature is handled the same way in Langevin dynamics as it its in molecular dynamics. High temperature runs may be used to overcome potential energy barriers. Cooling a system to a low temperature in steps may result in a different stable conformation than would be found by direct geometry optimization. 

Chemical dynamics, scattering theory, molecular astrophysics, high-temperature superconductors... 

The parameter /r tunes the stiffness of the potential. It is chosen such that the repulsive part of the Leimard-Jones potential makes a crossing of bonds highly improbable (e.g., k= 30). This off-lattice model has a rather realistic equation of state and reproduces many experimental features of polymer solutions. Due to the attractive interactions the model exhibits a liquid-vapour coexistence, and an isolated chain undergoes a transition from a self-avoiding walk at high temperatures to a collapsed globule at low temperatures. Since all interactions are continuous, the model is tractable by Monte Carlo simulations as well as by molecular dynamics. Generalizations of the Leimard-Jones potential to anisotropic pair interactions are available e.g., the Gay-Beme potential [29]. This latter potential has been employed to study non-spherical particles that possibly fomi liquid crystalline phases. 

The relative molecular dynamics fluctuations shown in Figure 7-17 can be compared with the crystallographic B-factors, which are also called temperature factors. The latter name, especially, indicates the information content of these factors they show how well defined within the X-ray structure the position of an atom is. Atoms with high temperature have an increased mobility. In principle, this is the same information as is provided by the molecular dynamics fluctuations. Using Eq. (48), the RMS fluctuation of an atom j can be converted into a B-factor... 

Quenched dynamics is a combination of high temperature molecular dynamics and energy minimization. This process determines the energy distribution of con formational families produced during molecular dynamics trajectories. To provide a better estimate of conformations, you should combine quenched dynamics with simulated annealing. 

Fig. 9.19 Schematic illustration of an energy surface. A high-temperature molecular dynamics simulation may be ah to ooercome very high energy barriers and so explore conformational space. On minimisation, the appropriate minimum energy conformation is obtained (arrcrws).

For a conformation in a relatively deep local minimum, a room temperature molecular dynamics simulation may not overcome the barrier and search other regions of conformational space in reasonable computing time. To overcome barriers, many conformational searches use elevated temperatures (600-1200 K) at constant energy. To search conformational space adequately, run simulations of 0.5-1.0 ps each at high temperature and save the molecular structures after each simulation. Alternatively, take a snapshot of a simulation at about one picosecond intervals to store the structure. Run a geometry optimization on each structure and compare structures to determine unique low-energy conformations. 

Researchers report that high temperature molecular dynamics searches of many different starting conformations are much more efficient than using one starting structure and longer simulations. 

RE Bruccoleri, M Karplus. Conformational sampling using high-temperature molecular dynamics. Biopolymers 29 1847-1862, 1990. 

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