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Published on: August 13, 2020
Accelerated convergence of molecular free energy via superposition approximation-based reference states
Sandeep Somani1, Michael K Gilson
1Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA.
Calculating molecular system free energy is improved by using reference systems that account for coordinate correlations. Incorporating pairwise correlations significantly enhances convergence and conformational overlap in simulations.
Area of Science:
- Computational Chemistry
- Molecular Dynamics
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Free energy calculations are crucial in molecular simulations.
- Thermodynamic perturbation relies on conformational overlap between reference and physical systems.
- One-dimensional marginal probability distribution functions (PDFs) are often used for reference systems, but neglect correlations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel reference system for free energy calculations.
- To improve convergence by incorporating pairwise correlations among internal coordinates.
- To enhance conformational overlap between reference and physical systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing two-dimensional marginal PDFs from molecular simulations.
- Constructing a reference system based on pairwise correlations.
- Comparing free energy estimates with a first-order reference system.
Main Results:
- The reference system incorporating pairwise correlations significantly improved convergence.
- Increased conformational overlap was observed with the physical distribution.
- The new method demonstrated superior performance over the first-order approach.
Conclusions:
- Accounting for pairwise correlations in reference systems is vital for accurate free energy calculations.
- Two-dimensional marginal PDFs offer a more robust approach than one-dimensional PDFs.
- This method enhances the reliability and efficiency of molecular simulations.
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