Point saddle

The expansion is done around the principal axes so only tliree tenns occur in the simnnation. The nature of the critical pomt is detennined by the signs of the a. If > 0 for all n, then the critical point corresponds to a local minimum. If < 0 for all n, then the critical point corresponds to a local maximum. Otherwise, the critical points correspond to saddle points. 

The types of critical points can be labelled by the number of less than zero. Specifically, the critical points are labelled by M. where is the number of which are negative i.e. a local minimum critical point would be labelled by Mq, a local maximum by and the saddle points by (M, M2). Each critical point has a characteristic line shape. For example, the critical point has a joint density of state which behaves as = constant x — ttiiifor co > coq and zero otherwise, where coq corresponds to thcAfQ critical point energy. At... 

Figure Al.6.26. Stereoscopic view of ground- and excited-state potential energy surfaces for a model collinear ABC system with the masses of HHD. The ground-state surface has a minimum, corresponding to the stable ABC molecule. This minimum is separated by saddle points from two distmct exit chaimels, one leading to AB + C the other to A + BC. The object is to use optical excitation and stimulated emission between the two surfaces to steer the wavepacket selectively out of one of the exit chaimels (reprinted from [54]).

The barrier on the surface in figure A3,7,1 is actually a saddle point the potential is a maximum along the reaction coordinate but a minimum along the direction perpendicular to the reaction coordinate. The classical transition state is defined by a slice tlirough the top of tire barrier perpendicular to the reaction coordinate. 

It should be noted that in the cases where y"j[,q ) > 0, the centroid variable becomes irrelevant to the quantum activated dynamics as defined by (A3.8.Id) and the instanton approach [37] to evaluate based on the steepest descent approximation to the path integral becomes the approach one may take. Alternatively, one may seek a more generalized saddle point coordinate about which to evaluate A3.8.14. This approach has also been used to provide a unified solution for the thennal rate constant in systems influenced by non-adiabatic effects, i.e. to bridge the adiabatic and non-adiabatic (Golden Rule) limits of such reactions. 

Ionova I V and Carter E A 1993 Ridge method for finding saddle points on potential energy surfaces J. Chem. Phys. 98 6377... 

Muller K and Brown L D 1979 Location of saddle points and minimum energy paths by a constrained simplex optimization procedure Theor. Chim. Acta 53 75... 

The total wavefunction r2,. . ., r is written as a product of single-particle functions (Hartree approximation). The various integrals are evaluated in tire saddle point approximation. A simple Gaussian fomr for tire trial one-particle wavefunction... 

In addition to the configuration, electronic stmcture and thennal stability of point defects, it is essential to know how they diffuse. A variety of mechanisms have been identified. The simplest one involves the diffusion of an impurity tlirough the interstitial sites. For example, copper in Si diffuses by hopping from one tetrahedral interstitial site to the next via a saddle point at the hexagonal interstitial site. 

Techniques have been developed within the CASSCF method to characterize the critical points on the excited-state PES. Analytic first and second derivatives mean that minima and saddle points can be located using traditional energy optimization procedures. More importantly, intersections can also be located using constrained minimization [42,43]. Of particular interest for the mechanism of a reaction is the minimum energy path (MEP), defined as the line followed by a classical particle with zero kinetic energy [44-46]. Such paths can be calculated using intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) techniques... 

A technical difference from other Gaussian wavepacket based methods is that the local hamionic approximation has not been used to evaluate any integrals, but instead Maiti nez et al. use what they term a saddle-point approximation. This uses the localization of the functions to evaluate the integrals by... 

Fig. 5. The left hand side figure shows a contour plot of the potential energy landscape due to V4 with equipotential lines of the energies E = 1.5, 2, 3 (solid lines) and E = 7,8,12 (dashed lines). There are minima at the four points ( 1, 1) (named A to D), a local maximum at (0, 0), and saddle-points in between the minima. The right hand figure illustrates a solution of the corresponding Hamiltonian system with total energy E = 4.5 (positions qi and qs versus time t).

A saddle point approximation to the above integral provides the definition for optimal trajectories. The computations of most probable trajectories were discussed at length [1]. We consider the optimization of a discrete version of the action. 

Point B isa ina.xiiiium along the path from A to C (saddle point). I h e forces on th e atom s are also zero for th is structure. Poin t B rep-resentsa transition state for the Iran sforrn atiori of A to C. 

Using the coordinates of special geometries, minima, and saddle points, together with the nearby values of potential energy, you can calculate spectroscopic properties and macroscopic therm ody-riatriic and kinetic parameters, sncfi as enthalpies, entropies, and thermal rate constants. HyperChem can provide the geometries and energy values for many of these ealeulatiori s. 

A geographical analogy can be a helpful way to illustrate many of the concepts we shall encounter in this chapter. In this analogy minimum points correspond to the bottom of valleys. A minimum may be described as being in a long and narrow valley or a flat and featureless plain. Saddle points correspond to mountain passes. We refer to algorithms taking steps uphill or downhill. ... 

Distinguishing Between Minima, Maxima and Saddle Points... 

The lowest-energy path from one minimum to another passes through a saddle point. 

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