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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Analyzing Melts and Fluids from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations with the UMD Package
Published on: September 17, 2021
Dynamical properties of ab initio water from machine-learning potentials
P Montero de Hijes1, L Neubeck1, G Kresse1,2
1Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
None:
We assess the dynamical properties of liquid water predicted by several density functionals using machine-learning interatomic potentials. MACE models were trained for SCAN, RPBE-D3/zd, revPBE-D3/zd, revPBE0-D3/BJ, PBE0-D3/zd, and PBE0-D3/BJ using previously reported ab initio datasets. We compare translational, rotational, and viscous dynamics through time-correlation functions, which resolve relaxation processes across different timescales, and through the corresponding long-time kinetic coefficients. The diffusion coefficient, second-rank orientational relaxation time, and shear viscosity reveal systematic differences among functionals. Part of these differences can be rationalized as shifts along the phase diagram, as comparisons relative to the melting temperature of each functional reduce the spread in the dynamical observables. Among the functionals considered, RPBE-D3/zd provides the best overall agreement with experiment. We, therefore, perform a broader validation of RPBE-D3/zd using a Behler-Parrinello neural-network potential over a wide range of temperatures, densities, and pressures. The model reproduces the magnitude and anomalous pressure dependence of the diffusion coefficient, gives generally good viscosities, and captures the temperature dependence of the rotational relaxation time.
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