Can a molecular dynamics simulation enter a limit cycle?

  • #1
dexterdev
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In my rough understanding Molecular Dynamics using Classical Newtonian mechanics is a 6N dimensional non linear system. 6N dimension because you have 3 position vectors and 3 momentum vectors for each N particles. Nonlinearity because of the terms in force fields. In principle this system can exhibit chaos. Also is there any small probability such that the system enters a periodic attractor ?
 
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  • #2
Great question, I'll have to think about it.

Upon searching some stuff to refresh my mind I stumbled on a cross-post at stackexchange
This does give me some more info.

I found this link to google books which at least for me shows an example of a limit cycle in the case that your method isn't symplectic ("almost energy conserving" if you like to look at it that way).
 
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  • #3
JorisL said:
Upon searching some stuff to refresh my mind I stumbled on a cross-post at stackexchange

That is my question at physics.SE.
 

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