Hybrid Monte Carlo Metadynamics (hybridMC-MetaD)

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhao, Charlotte Shiqi, Tsai, Sun-Ting, Glotzer, Sharon C.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Zhao, Charlotte Shiqi
Tsai, Sun-Ting
Glotzer, Sharon C.
author_facet Zhao, Charlotte Shiqi
Tsai, Sun-Ting
Glotzer, Sharon C.
contents We propose the powerful integration of the Hybrid Monte Carlo (hybridMC) algorithm and Well-Tempered Metadynamics. This new algorithm, hybridMC-MetaD, enhances the flexibility and applicability of metadynamics by allowing for the utilization of a wider range of collective variables (CVs), namely non-differentiable CVs. We demonstrate the usage of hybridMC-MetaD through five examples of rare events in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, including a rare transition in a model potential system, condensation of the argon system, crystallization in a nearly-hard sphere system, a nearly-hard bipyramid system and a colloidal suspension. By taking advantage of hybridMC, which combines molecular dynamics (MD) and MC, we are able to bias the transitions along non-differentiable CVs for all five cases, which would be unfeasible with conventional MD simulations. Enabled by metadynamics, we observed significant acceleration of the phase transitions and calculated free energy barriers using the hybridMC-MetaD simulation data. For the nearly-hard bipyramid system whose crystallization is primarily driven by entropy, we report the free energy surface for the first time. Through our case studies, we show that our hybridMC-MetaD scheme reduces the complexity of using metadynamics and increases its accessibility. We believe the hybridMC-MetaD algorithm will stimulate greater interest in, and foster broader applications of metadynamics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_15942
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hybrid Monte Carlo Metadynamics (hybridMC-MetaD)
Zhao, Charlotte Shiqi
Tsai, Sun-Ting
Glotzer, Sharon C.
Materials Science
We propose the powerful integration of the Hybrid Monte Carlo (hybridMC) algorithm and Well-Tempered Metadynamics. This new algorithm, hybridMC-MetaD, enhances the flexibility and applicability of metadynamics by allowing for the utilization of a wider range of collective variables (CVs), namely non-differentiable CVs. We demonstrate the usage of hybridMC-MetaD through five examples of rare events in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, including a rare transition in a model potential system, condensation of the argon system, crystallization in a nearly-hard sphere system, a nearly-hard bipyramid system and a colloidal suspension. By taking advantage of hybridMC, which combines molecular dynamics (MD) and MC, we are able to bias the transitions along non-differentiable CVs for all five cases, which would be unfeasible with conventional MD simulations. Enabled by metadynamics, we observed significant acceleration of the phase transitions and calculated free energy barriers using the hybridMC-MetaD simulation data. For the nearly-hard bipyramid system whose crystallization is primarily driven by entropy, we report the free energy surface for the first time. Through our case studies, we show that our hybridMC-MetaD scheme reduces the complexity of using metadynamics and increases its accessibility. We believe the hybridMC-MetaD algorithm will stimulate greater interest in, and foster broader applications of metadynamics.
title Hybrid Monte Carlo Metadynamics (hybridMC-MetaD)
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.15942