English

Nudged-elastic band method with two climbing images: finding transition states in complex energy landscapes

Computational Physics 2017-11-28 v1 Materials Science Other Condensed Matter Chemical Physics

Abstract

The nudged-elastic band (NEB) method is modified with concomitant two climbing images (C2-NEB) to find a transition state (TS) in complex energy landscapes, such as those with serpentine minimal energy path (MEP). If a single climbing image (C1-NEB) successfully finds the TS, C2-NEB finds it with higher stability and accuracy. However, C2-NEB is suitable for more complex cases, where C1-NEB misses the TS because the MEP and NEB directions near the saddle point are different. Generally, C2-NEB not only finds the TS but guarantees that the climbing images approach it from the opposite sides along the MEP, and it estimates accuracy from the three images: the highest-energy one and its climbing neighbors. C2-NEB is suitable for fixed-cell NEB and the generalized solid-state NEB (SS-NEB).

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1410.2133,
  title  = {Nudged-elastic band method with two climbing images: finding transition states in complex energy landscapes},
  author = {Nikolai A. Zarkevich and Duane D. Johnson},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1410.2133},
  year   = {2017}
}

Comments

3 pages, 4 figures