Classical Langevin dynamics for model Hamiltonians

Abstract

We propose a scheme for extending the model Hamiltonian method developed originally for studying the equilibrium properties of complex perovskite systems to include Langevin dynamics. The extension is based on Zwanzig's treatment of nonlinear generalized Langevin's equations. The parameters entering the equations of motion are to be determined by mapping from first-principles calculations, as in the original model Hamiltonian method. The scheme makes possible, in principle, the study of the dynamics and kinetics of structural transformations inaccessible to the original model Hamiltonian method. Moreover, we show that the equilibrium properties are governed by an effective Hamiltonian which differs from that used in previous work by a term which captures the coherent part of the previously ignored dynamical interaction with the omitted degrees of freedom. We describe how the additional information required for the Langevin equations can be obtained by a minor extension of the previous mapping.This paper is dedicated to Professor Josef Devreese on the occasion of his 65th birthday and his formal retirement. May he continue to have many more productive years in theoretical physics.