A fully polarizable implementation of the hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics approach is presented, where the classical environment is described through the AMOEBA polarizable force field. A variational formalism, offering a self-consistent relaxation of both the MM induced dipoles and the QM electronic density, is used for ground state energies and extended to electronic excitations in the framework of time-dependent density functional theory combined with a state specific response of the classical part. An application to the calculation of the solvatochromism of the pyridinium N-phenolate betaine dye used to define the solvent ET(30) scale is presented. The results show that the QM/AMOEBA model not only properly describes specific and bulk effects in the ground state but it also correctly responds to the large change in the solute electronic charge distribution upon excitation.

We present the implementation of a Born-Oppenheimer (BO) hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) strategy using density functional theory (DFT) and the polarizable AMOEBA force field. This approach couples the Gaussian and Tinker suite of programs through a variational formalism allowing for a full self-consistent relaxation of both the AMOEBA induced dipoles and the DFT electron density at each MD step. As the DFT SCF cycles are the limiting factor in terms of computational efforts and MD stability, we focus on the latter aspect and compare the time-reversible BO (TR-BO) and the extended BO Lagrangian approaches (XL-BO) to the MD propagation. The XL-BO approach allows for stable, energy-conserving trajectories offering various perspectives for hybrid simulations using polarizable force fields.

The spectroscopic properties of light-harvesting (LH) antennae in photosyntehtic organisms represent a fingerprint that is unique for each specific pigment-protein complex. Because of that, spectroscopic observations are generally combined with structural data from X-ray crystallography to obtain an indirect representation of the excitonic properties of the system. Here, an alternative strategy is presented which goes beyond this empirical approach and introduces an ab initio computational description of both structural and electronic properties and their dependence on the temperature. The strategy is applied to the peripheral light-harvesting antenna complex (LH2) present in purple bacteria. By comparing this model with the one based on the crystal structure, a detailed, molecular level explanation of the absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra and their temperature dependence is achieved. The agreement obtained with the experiments at both low and room temperature lays the groundwork for an atomistic understanding of the excitation dynamics in the LH2 system.

Recent studies have unveiled the similar nature of solvent (screening) effects and bridge-mediated contributions to electronic energy transfer, both related to the bridge/solvent polarizability properties. Here, we exploit the similarity of such contributions to develop a fully polarizable mixed QM/discrete/continuum model aimed at studying electronic energy transfer processes in supramolecular systems. In the model, the definition of the three regions is completely flexible and allows us to explore the possibility to describe bridge-mediated contributions by using a polarizable MM description of the linker. In addition, we show that the classical MMPol description of the bridge can be complemented either with an analogous atomistic or with a continuum description of the solvent. Advantages and drawbacks of the model are finally presented and discussed with respect to the system under study.

The photosynthetic apparatus of purple bacteria uses exciton delocalization and static disorder to modulate the position and broadening of its absorption bands, leading to efficient light harvesting. Its main antenna complex, LH2, contains two rings of identical bacteriochlorophyll pigments, B800 and B850, absorbing at 800 nm and at 850