Simulations of vibrational spectra from classical trajectories: Calibration with ab initio force fields

An algorithm allowing simulating vibrational spectra from classical time-dependent trajectories was applied for infrared absorption, vibrational circular dichroism, Raman, and Raman optical activity of model harmonic systems. The implementation of the theory within the TINKER molecular dynamics (MD) program package was tested with ab initio harmonic force fields in order to determine the feasibility for more extended MD simulations. The results suggest that sufficiently accurate frequencies can be simulated with integration time steps shorter than about $0.5fs$⁠. For a given integration time step, lower vibrational frequencies $(∼0–2000cm−1)$ could be reproduced with a higher accuracy than higher-frequency vibrational modes (e.g., O–H and C–H stretching). In principle, the algorithm also provides correct intensities for ideal systems. In applied simulations, however, the intensity profiles are affected by an unrealistic energy distribution between normal modes and a slow energy relaxation. Additionally, the energy fluctuations may cause weakening of the intensities on average. For ab initio force fields, these obstacles could be overcome by an arbitrary normal mode energy correction. For general MD simulations, averaging of many shorter MD trajectories started with randomly distributed atomic velocities provided the best spectral shapes. $α$-pinene, D-gluconic acid, formaldehyde dimer, and the acetylprolineamide molecule were used in the tests.