Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Quantum Chemistry”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23

Fast inversion, preconditioned quantum linear system solvers, fast Green's-function computation, and fast evaluation of matrix functions

Preconditioning is the most widely used and effective way for treating ill-conditioned linear systems in the context of classical iterative linear system solvers. We introduce a quantum primitive called fast inversion, which can be used as a preconditioner for solving quantum linear systems. The key idea of fast inversion is to directly block encode a matrix inverse through a quantum circuit implementing the inversion of eigenvalues via classical arithmetics. We demonstrate the application of preconditioned linear system solvers for computing single-particle Green's functions of quantum many-body systems, which are widely used in quantum physics, chemistry, and materials science. We analyze the complexities in three scenarios: the Hubbard model, the quantum many-body Hamiltonian in the plane-wave-dual basis, and the Schwinger model. We also provide a method for performing Green's function calculation in second quantization within a fixed-particle manifold and note that this approach may be valuable for simulation more broadly. Aside from solving linear systems, fast inversion also allows us to develop fast algorithms for computing matrix functions, such as the efficient preparation of Gibbs states. Furthermore, we introduce two efficient approaches for such a task, based on the contour-integral formulation and the inverse transform, respectively.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Quantum embedding for material chemistry based on domain separation and open subsystems

Our perspective considers two theories we recently proposed to perform quantum embedding calculations for chemical systems: domain-separated density functional theory (DSDFT) and locally coupled open subsystems (LCOS). The development includes both the fundamentals of each theory as well as potential applications, some technical aspects, and related challenges. DS-DFT is suited to study intramolecular effects, where one can apply a high level of theory (based on DFT or wave function theory) to a region of interest inside a molecule or solid, and lower level theory elsewhere, with smooth switching between the regions. LCOS, in contrast, is a fragment-based embedding which offers computational advantages to study intermolecular behavior such as electron hopping, spin-environment interaction, and charge transfer excitations. Yet, both theories can exchange roles when appropriate. In addition, these theories allow for control of computational scaling of their algorithms. We investigate paths to determine the charge-transfer operator used in LCOS, and suggest an auxiliary energy minimization that can provide a practical estimate to this operator. We also briefly discuss how to implement density fitting techniques in domain separation, and how domain separation can be used for pure wavefunction-based embedding.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Quantum machine learning for chemistry and physics

Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a formidable force for identifying hidden but pertinent patterns within a given data set with the objective of subsequent generation of automated predictive behavior. In recent years, it is safe to conclude that ML and its close cousin, deep learning (DL), have ushered in unprecedented developments in all areas of physical sciences, especially chemistry. Not only classical variants of ML, even those trainable on near-term quantum hardwares have been developed with promising outcomes. Such algorithms have revolutionized materials design and performance of photovoltaics, electronic structure calculations of ground and excited states of correlated matter, computation of force-fields and potential energy surfaces informing chemical reaction dynamics, reactivity inspired rational strategies of drug designing and even classification of phases of matter with accurate identification of emergent criticality. In this review we shall explicate a subset of such topics and delineate the contributions made by both classical and quantum computing enhanced machine learning algorithms over the past few years. We shall not only present a brief overview of the well-known techniques but also highlight their learning strategies using statistical physical insight. The objective of the review is not only to foster exposition of the aforesaid techniques but also to empower and promote cross-pollination among future research in all areas of chemistry which can benefit from ML and in turn can potentially accelerate the growth of such algorithms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Energetic and Electronic Properties of UX +/0/– for X = Li and Be and Comparison of the Properties of the Uranium Atom Binding to 2nd Row Elements Li–F

The bonding and spectroscopic properties of ULi +/0/– and UBe +/0/– to complete the series for UX +/0/– for X = Li to F were investigated by high-level ab initio SO-CASPT2 and CCSD(T) electronic structure calculations. The low-lying spin–orbit states were obtained at the SA-CASPT2/aQ-PP level; bond dissociation energies (BDEs), ionization energies (IEs), adiabatic electronic affinities (AEAs), and vertical detachment energies (VDEs) were calculated at the Feller-Peterson-Dixon (FPD) level. A dense manifold of low-lying states was predicted for ULi +/0/– and UBe +/0/– . Here, the calculated BDEs for ULi (37.7 kJ/mol) and UBe (8.0 kJ/mol) show that UBe is weakly bound. For redox processes, the BDEs increased for ULi + (109.3 kJ/mol), ULi – (47.4 kJ/mol), UBe + (35.6 kJ/mol), and UBe – (72.3 kJ/mol). The IE(ULi) = 4.650 eV is lower than IE(Li); the IE(UBe) = 5.901 eV is close to the IE(U) and to the IEs of UB, UC, UN, UO, and UF. The AEAs of ULi (0.708 eV) and UBe (0.989 eV) are lower than those for UB, UC, UN, and UO but higher than that for EA(UF). Natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations show that ULi has the 5f 3 6d 1 7s 2 configuration for U and 2s 1 for Li, with a small partial negative charge slightly delocalized on U. UBe arises from the U(5f 3 6d 1 7s 2 ) and Be(2s 2 ) electron configurations with no charge separation. The same calculations were made for WX (X = Li, Be, C–F) to enable detailed comparisons of the properties for UX with WX (X = Li–F). For WX, BDE(WX) is higher than that for UX for X = Li to N and lower than BDE(UX) for X = O and F, mostly due to the higher IE of W than U as ionic character becomes more important going from Li to F.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Theoretical Advances in Polariton Chemistry and Molecular Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics

When molecules are coupled to an optical cavity, new light–matter hybrid states, so-called polaritons, are formed due to quantum light–matter interactions. With the experimental demonstrations of modifying chemical reactivities by forming polaritons under strong light–matter interactions, theorists have been encouraged to develop new methods to simulate these systems and discover new strategies to tune and control reactions. This review summarizes some of these exciting theoretical advances in polariton chemistry, in methods ranging from the fundamental framework to computational techniques and applications spanning from photochemistry to vibrational strong coupling. Even though the theory of quantum light–matter interactions goes back to the midtwentieth century, the gaps in the knowledge of molecular quantum electrodynamics (QED) have only recently been filled. We review recent advances made in resolving gauge ambiguities, the correct form of different QED Hamiltonians under different gauges, and their connections to various quantum optics models. Then, we review recently developed ab initio QED approaches which can accurately describe polariton states in a realistic molecule–cavity hybrid system. We then discuss applications using these method advancements. We review advancements in polariton photochemistry where the cavity is made resonant to electronic transitions to control molecular nonadiabatic excited state dynamics and enable new photochemical reactivities. When the cavity resonance is tuned to the molecular vibrations instead, ground-state chemical reaction modifications have been demonstrated experimentally, though its mechanistic principle remains unclear. We present some recent theoretical progress in resolving this mystery. Finally, we review the recent advances in understanding the collective coupling regime between light and matter, where many molecules can collectively couple to a single cavity mode or many cavity modes. We also lay out the current challenges in theory to explain the observed experimental results. We hope that this review will serve as a useful document for anyone who wants to become familiar with the context of polariton chemistry and molecular cavity QED and thus significantly benefit the entire community.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Influence of Ligand Structure on Excited State Surface Chemistry of Lead Sulfide Quantum Dots

The ligand-nanocrystal boundaries of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) mediate the primary energy and electron transfer processes that underpin photochemical and photocatalytic transformations at their surfaces. We use mid-infrared transient absorption spectroscopy to reveal the influence that ligand structure and bonding to nanocrystal surfaces have on the changes of the excited state surface chemistry of this boundary in PbS QDs and the corresponding impact on charge transfer processes between nanocrystals. We demonstrate that oleate ligands undergo marked changes in their bonding to surfaces in the excitonic excited states of the nanocrystals, indicating that oleate passivated PbS surfaces undergo significant structural changes following photoexcitation. These changes can impact the surface mobility of the ligands and the ability of redox shuttles to approach the nanocrystal surfaces to undergo charge transfer in photocatalytic reactions. In contrast, markedly different transient vibrational features are observed in iodide/mercaptoproprionic acid passivated PbS QD films that result from charge transfer between neighboring nanocrystals and localization of holes at the nanocrystal surfaces near MPA ligands. This ability to distinguish the influence that excitonic excited states vs charge transfer processes have on the surface chemistry of the ligand-nanocrystal boundary lays the groundwork for exploration of how this boundary can be understood and controlled for the design of nanocrystalline materials tailored for specific applications in solar energy harvesting and photocatalytic reactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantum algorithm for polaritonic chemistry based on an exact ansatz

Abstract Cavity-modified chemistry uses strong light-matter interactions to modify the electronic properties of molecules in order to enable new physical phenomena such as novel reaction pathways. As cavity chemistry often involves critical regions where configurations become nearly degenerate, the ability to treat multireference problems is crucial to understanding polaritonic systems. In this Letter, we show through the use of a unitary ansatz derived from the anti-Hermitian contracted Schrödinger equation that cavity-modified systems with strong correlation, such as the deformation of rectangular H 4 coupled to a cavity mode, can be solved efficiently and accurately on a quantum device. In contrast, while our quantum algorithm can be made formally exact, classical-computing methods as well as other quantum-computing algorithms often yield answers that are both quantitatively and qualitatively incorrect. Additionally, we demonstrate the current feasibility of the algorithm on near intermediate-scale quantum hardware by computing the dissociation curve of H 2 strongly coupled to a bosonic bath.

Warren, Samuel (ORCID:0000000157134454)↗

Molecules Functionalized with Cycling Centers for Quantum Information Science

The ability for a single molecule to produce enough laser-induced fluorescence to control and detect its quantum state is known as optical cycling. This property has been used to great effect in atoms, where the relatively small number of states promotes their ability to repeatedly fluoresce, for applications such as laser cooling, precision measurement, atomic clocks, and quantum information processing. The extension of this capability to molecular species, however, has been difficult, primarily due to their propensity to become vibrationally excited during illumination. This project brought together experts from atomic physics, physical chemistry, and computational quantum chemistry to develop means to create molecules capable of optical cycling. In particular, this program sought to produce an optical cycling center (OCC), a quantum functional group capable of chemical attachment to a wide variety of molecular hosts while retaining (and thereby furnishing to its host) the ability to optically cycle. Following our team’s theoretical identification of promising species, including alkaline-earth phenoxides, we then created these species and in many cases confirmed their optical cycle closure. We now not only know of the existence of a handful of large, molecular species that can be deployed for applications in quantum technologies and measurement, but have improved our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms leading to this discovery, which will enable generalization in the future. The extension of these ideas for informed chemical design of cycling molecules with bespoke properties is now being pursued by multiple groups.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

On the Trotter Error in Many-body Quantum Dynamics with Coulomb Potentials

Efficient simulation of many-body quantum systems is central to advances in physics, chemistry, and quantum computing, with a key question being whether the simulation cost scales polynomially with the system size. Here, in this work, we analyze many-body quantum systems with Coulomb interactions, which are fundamental to electronic and molecular systems. We prove that Trotterization for such unbounded Hamiltonians achieves a 1/4-order convergence rate, with explicit polynomial dependence on the number of particles. The result holds for all initial wavefunctions in the domain of the Hamiltonian, and the 1/4-order convergence rate is optimal, as previous work has numerically demonstrated that it can be saturated by a specific initial ground state. The main challenges arise from the many-body structure and the singular nature of the Coulomb potential. Our proof strategy differs from prior state-of-the-art Trotter analyses, addressing both difficulties in a unified framework. Our analysis treats the Coulomb potential as an unbounded operator without modification or regularization, and does not rely on spatial discretization, making it compatible with both first- and second-quantized circuit constructions.

Fang, Di [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)]↗

Quantum error mitigation by hidden inverses protocol in superconducting quantum devices

We present a method to improve the convergence of variational algorithms based on hidden inverses (HIs) to mitigate coherent errors. In the context of error mitigation, this means replacing the hardware implementation of certain Hermitian gates with their inverses. Doing so results in noise cancellation and a more resilient quantum circuit. This approach improves performance in a variety of two-qubit error models where the noise operator also inverts with the gate inversion. We apply the mitigation scheme on superconducting quantum processors running the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm to find the H 2 ground-state energy. When implemented on superconducting hardware we find that the mitigation scheme effectively reduces the energy fluctuations in the parameter learning path in VQE, reducing the number of iterations for a converged value. We also provide a detailed numerical simulation of VQE performance under different noise models and explore how HIs and randomized compiling affect the underlying loss landscape of the learning problem. These simulations help explain our experimental hardware outcomes, helping to connect lower-level gate performance to application-specific behavior in contrast to metrics like fidelity which often do not provide an intuitive insight into observed high level performance.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

How Well Can Quantum Embedding Method Predict the Reaction Profiles for Hydrogenation of Small Li Clusters?

Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics in novel ways to tackle complex chemistry problems that cannot be accurately addressed using traditional quantum chemistry methods. However, the high computational cost and available number of physical qubits with high fidelity limit its application to small chemical systems. This work employed a quantum-classical framework which features a quantum active space-embedding approach to perform simulations of chemical reactions that require up to 14 qubits. This framework was applied to prototypical example metal hydrogenation reactions: the coupling between hydrogen and Li 2 , Li 3 , and Li 4 clusters. Particular attention was paid to the computation of barriers and reaction energies. The predicted reaction profiles compare well with advanced classical quantum chemistry methods, demonstrating the potential of the quantum embedding algorithm to map out reaction profiles of realistic gas-phase chemical reactions to ascertain qualitative energetic trends. Additionally, the predicted potential energy curves provide a benchmark to compare against both current and future quantum embedding approaches.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Coupled-cluster techniques for computational chemistry: The CFOUR program package

An up-to-date overview of the CFOUR program system is given. After providing a brief outline of the evolution of the program since its inception in 1989, a comprehensive presentation is given of its well-known capabilities for high-level coupled-cluster theory and its application to molecular properties. Subsequent to this generally well-known background information, much of the remaining content focuses on lesser-known capabilities of CFOUR, most of which have become available to the public only recently or will become available in the near future. Each of these new features is illustrated by a representative example, with additional discussion targeted to educating users as to classes of applications that are now enabled by these capabilities. Lastly, some speculation about future directions is given, and the mode of distribution and support for CFOUR are outlined in the appendix.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗