Ab initio implementation of quantum trajectory mean-field approach and dynamical simulation of the N2CO...

In this work, the recently introduced quantum trajectory mean-field (QTMF) approach is implemented and employed to explore photodissociation dynamics of diazirinone (N2CO), which are based on the high-level ab initio calculation. For comparison, the photodissociation process has been simulated as well with the fewest-switches surface hopping (FSSH) and the ab initio multiple spawning (AIMS) methods. Overall, the dynamical behavior predicted by the three methods is consistent. The N2CO photodissociation at λ > 335 nm is an ultrafast process and the two C-N bonds are broken in a stepwise way, giving birth to CO and N2 as the final products in the ground state. Meanwhile, some noticeable differences were found in the QTMF, FSSH, and AIMS simulated time constants for fission of the C-N bonds, excited-state lifetime, and nonadiabatic transition ratios in different intersection regions. These have been discussed in detail. The present study provides a clear evidence that direct ab initio QTMF approach is one of the reliable tools for simulating nonadiabatic dynamics processes.