Hybrid particle-field molecular dynamics under constant pressure

Sigbjørn Løland Bore, Hima Bindu Kolli, Antonio De Nicola, Maksym Byshkin, Toshihiro Kawakatsu, Giuseppe Milano, Michele Cascella

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hybrid particle-field methods are computationally efficient approaches for modeling soft matter systems. So far, applications of these methodologies have been limited to constant volume conditions. Here, we reformulate particle-field interactions to represent systems coupled to constant external pressure. First, we show that the commonly used particle-field energy functional can be modified to model and parameterize the isotropic contributions to the pressure tensor without interfering with the microscopic forces on the particles. Second, we employ a square gradient particle-field interaction term to model non-isotropic contributions to the pressure tensor, such as in surface tension phenomena. This formulation is implemented within the hybrid particle-field molecular dynamics approach and is tested on a series of model systems. Simulations of a homogeneous water box demonstrate that it is possible to parameterize the equation of state to reproduce any target density for a given external pressure. Moreover, the same parameterization is transferable to systems of similar coarse-grained mapping resolution. Finally, we evaluate the feasibility of the proposed approach on coarse-grained models of phospholipids, finding that the term between water and the lipid hydrocarbon tails is alone sufficient to reproduce the experimental area per lipid in constant-pressure simulations and to produce a qualitatively correct lateral pressure profile.

Original languageEnglish
Article number0007445
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume152
Issue number18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020 May 14

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