arXiv subjects

Michelle C. Anderson

Publications and source records attributed to Michelle C. Anderson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

TENSO: Software Package for Numerically Exact Open Quantum Dynamics Based on Efficient Tree Tensor Network Decomposition of the Hierarchical Equations of Motion

TENSO is a versatile and powerful open-source software package for numerically exact simulations of the dynamics of quantum systems immersed in structured thermal environments. It is based on a tree tensor network decomposition of the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) that efficiently curbs its curse of dimensionality with bath complexity. As such, TENSO enables exact non-Markovian open quantum dynamics simulations even with complex environments typical of chemistry and quantum information science. TENSO allows for time-dependent drive in the system, and for non-commuting fluctuations. More generally, TENSO efficiently propagates the dynamics for any method with a generator of the dynamics that can be expressed in a sum-of-products form, including the HEOM and multi-layer multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree methods. TENSO enables simulations using tensor trees and trains of arbitrary order, and implements three propagation strategies for the coupled master equations; two fixed-rank methods that require a constant memory footprint during the dynamics and one adaptive rank method with a variable memory footprint controlled by the target level of computational error. In contrast to the accompanying theory and algorithmic paper [J. Chem. Phys. 163, 104109 (2025)] the focus here is on the practical usage and applications of TENSO with underlying theoretical concepts introduced only as needed.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Transfer tensor analysis of localization in the Anderson and Aubry-Andr\'e-Harper models

We use the transfer tensor method to analyze localization and transport in simple disordered systems, specifically the Anderson and Aubry-Andr\'e-Harper models. Emphasis is placed on the memory effects that emerge when ensemble-averaging over disorder, even when individual trajectories are strictly Markovian. We find that transfer tensor memory effects arise to remove fictitious terms that would correspond to redrawing static disorder at each time step, which would create a temporally uncorrelated dynamic disorder. Our results show that while eternal memory is a necessary condition for localization, it is not sufficient. We determine that signatures of localization and transport can be found within the transfer tensors themselves by defining a metric called "outgoing-pseudoflux". This work establishes connections between theoretical research on dynamical maps and Markovianity and localization phenomena in physically realizable model systems.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2024

Coherent control from quantum committment probabilities

We introduce a general definition of a quantum committor in order to clarify reaction mechanisms and facilitate control in processes where coherent effects are important. With a quantum committor, we generalize the notion of a transition state to quantum superpositions and quantify the effect of interference on the progress of the reaction. The formalism is applicable to any linear quantum master equation supporting metastability for which absorbing boundary conditions designating the reactant and product states can be applied. We use this formalism to determine the dependence of the quantum transition state on coherences in a polaritonic system and optimize the initialization state of a conical intersection model to control reactive outcomes, achieving yields of the desired state approaching 100%. In addition to providing a practical tool, the quantum committor provides a conceptual framework for understanding reactions in cases when classical intuitions fail.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

On the mechanism of polaritonic rate suppression from quantum transition paths

Polariton chemistry holds promise for facilitating mode-selective chemical reactions, but the underlying mechanism behind the rate modifications observed under vibrational strong coupling is not well understood. Using the recently developed quantum transition path theory, we have uncovered a mechanism of resonant suppression of a thermal reaction rate in a simple model polaritonic system, consisting of a reactive mode in a bath confined to a lossless microcavity with a single photon mode. This mechanism was uncovered by resolving the quantum dynamical reactive pathways and identifying their rate limiting transitions. Upon inspecting the wavefunctions associated with the rate limiting transition, we observed the formation of a polariton and identified the concomitant rate suppression as due to hybridization between the reactive mode and the cavity mode, which inhibits bath-mediated tunneling during the reaction. The transition probabilities that define the quantum master equation can be directly translated into a visualisation of the corresponding polariton energy landscape. This landscape exhibits a double funnel structure, with a large barrier between the initial and final states. This mechanism of resonant rate suppression is found to be robust to model parameters and computational details, and thus expected to be general.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Nonadiabatic transition paths from quantum jump trajectories

We present a means of studying rare reactive pathways in open quantum systems using Transition Path Theory and ensembles of quantum jump trajectories. This approach allows for elucidation of reactive paths for dissipative, nonadiabatic dynamics when the system is embedded in a Markovian environment. We detail the dominant pathways and rates of thermally activated processes, as well as the relaxation pathways and photoyields following vertical excitation in a minimal model of a conical intersection. We find that the geometry of the conical intersection affects the electronic character of the transition state, as defined through a generalization of a committor function for a thermal barrier crossing event. Similarly, the geometry changes the mechanism of relaxation following a vertical excitation. Relaxation in models resulting from small diabatic coupling proceed through pathways dominated by pure dephasing, while those with large diabatic coupling proceed through pathways limited by dissipation. The perspective introduced here for the nonadiabatic dynamics of open quantum systems generalizes classical notions of reactive paths to fundamentally quantum mechanical processes.

physics.chem-ph↗