Layered nested Markov chain Monte Carlo

Nicholas E. Jackson, Michael A. Webb, Juan J. De Pablo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

A configurational sampling algorithm based on nested layerings of Markov chains (Layered Nested Markov Chain Monte Carlo or L-NMCMC) is presented for simulations of systems characterized by rugged free energy landscapes. The layerings are generated using a set of auxiliary potential energy surfaces. The implementation of the method is demonstrated in the context of a rugged, two-dimensional potential energy surface. The versatility of the algorithm is next demonstrated on a simple, many-body system, namely, a canonical Lennard-Jones fluid in the liquid state. In that example, different layering schemes and auxiliary potentials are used, including variable cutoff distances and excluded-volume tempering. In addition to calculating a variety of properties of the system, it is also shown that L-NMCMC, when combined with a free-energy perturbation formalism, provides a straightforward means to construct approximate free-energy surfaces at no additional computational cost using the sampling distributions of each auxiliary Markov chain. The proposed L-NMCMC scheme is general in that it could be complementary to any number of methods that rely on sampling from a target distribution or methods that exploit a hierarchy of time scales and/or length scales through decomposition of the potential energy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number072326
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume149
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 21 2018
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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