Reaction dynamics phase space theory

The statistical theories provide a relatively simple model of chemical reactions, as they bypass the complicated problem of detailed single-particle and quantum mechanical dynamics by introducing probabilistic assumptions. Their applicability is, however, connected with the collisional mechanism of the process in question, too. The statistical phase space theories, associated mostly with the work of Light (in Ref. 6) and Nikitin (see Ref. 17), contain the assumption of a long-lived complex formation and are thus best suited for the description of complex-mode processes. On the other hand, direct character of the process is an implicit dynamical assumption of the transition-state theory. 

A situation that arises from the intramolecular dynamics of A and completely distinct from apparent non-RRKM behaviour is intrinsic non-RRKM behaviour [9], By this, it is meant that A has a non-random P(t) even if the internal vibrational states of A are prepared randomly. This situation arises when transitions between individual molecular vibrational/rotational states are slower than transitions leading to products. As a result, the vibrational states do not have equal dissociation probabilities. In tenns of classical phase space dynamics, slow transitions between the states occur when the reactant phase space is metrically decomposable [13,14] on the timescale of the imimolecular reaction and there is at least one bottleneck [9] in the molecular phase space other than the one defining the transition state. An intrinsic non-RRKM molecule decays non-exponentially with a time-dependent unimolecular rate constant or exponentially with a rate constant different from that of RRKM theory. 

So far, the discussion of the dynamics and the associated phase-space geometry has been restricted to the linearized Hamiltonian in eq. (5). However, in practice the linearization will rarely be sufficiently accurate to describe the reaction dynamics. We must then generalize the discussion to arbitrary nonlinear Hamiltonians in the vicinity of the saddle point. Fortunately, general theorems of invariant manifold theory [88] ensure that the qualitative features of the dynamics are the same as in the linear approximation for every energy not too high above the energy of the saddle point, there will be a NHIM with its associated stable and unstable manifolds that act as separatrices between reactive and nonreactive trajectories in precisely the manner that was described for the harmonic approximation. 

N. De Leon, M. A. Mehta, and R. Q. Topper, Cylindrical manifolds in phase space as mediators of chemical reaction dynamics and kinetics. I. Theory, J. Chem. Phys. 94, 8310 (1991). 

With this brief overview of classical theories of unimolecular reaction rate, one might wonder why classical mechanics is so useful in treating molecular systems that are microscopic, and one might question when a classical statistical theory should be replaced by a corresponding quantum theory. These general questions bring up the important issue of quantum-classical correspondence in general and the field of quantum chaos [27-29] (i.e., the quantum dynamics of classically chaotic systems) in particular. For example, is it possible to translate the above classical concepts (e.g., phase space separatrix, NHIM, reactive islands) into quantum mechanics, and if yes, how What is the consequence of... 

The Davis-Gray theory teaches us that by retaining the most important elements of the nonhnear reaction dynamics it is possible to accurately locate the intramolecular bottlenecks and to have an exact phase space separatrix as the transition state. Unfortunately, even for systems with only two DOFs, there may be considerable technical difficulties associated with locating the exact bottlenecks and the separatrix. Exact calculations of the fluxes across these phase space structures present more problems. For these reasons, further development of unimolecular reaction rate theory requires useful approximations. 

The phase space structure of classical molecular dynamics is extensively used in developing classical reaction rate theory. If the quanmm reaction dynamics can also be viewed from a phase-space perspective, then a quantum reaction rate theory can use a significant amount of the classical language and the quantum-classical correspondence in reaction rate theory can be closely examined. This is indeed possible by use of, for example, the Wigner function approach. For simplicity let us consider a Hamiltonian system with only one DOF. Generalization to many-dimensional systems is straightforward. The Wigner function associated with a density operator /)( / is defined by... 

The conventional theory of reaction processes relies on equilibrium statistical physics where the equi-energy surface is uniformly covered by orbits as shown in Fig. 34. To the contrary, the phase space in multidimensional chaos has various invariant structures, and orbits wander around these structures as shown in Fig. 35. In these processes, those degrees of freedom that constitute the movement along stable or unstable manifolds vary from NHIM to NHIM. Their variance reveals how reaction coordinates change during successive processes in reaction dynamics. 

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