Position-Dependent Diffusion Constant of Molecules in Heterogeneous Systems as Evaluated by the Local Mean Squared Displacement

The authors propose a novel method to evaluate the position-dependent diffusion constant by analyzing unperturbed segments of a trajectory determined by the additional flat-bottom potential. The accuracy of this novel method is first established by studying homogeneous systems, where the reference value can be obtained by the Einstein relation. The applicability of this new method to heterogeneous systems is then demonstrated by studying a hydrophobic solute near a hydrophobic wall. The proposed method is also comprehensively compared with popular conventional methods, whereby the significance of the present method is illustrated. The novel method is powerful and useful for studying kinetics in heterogeneous systems based on molecular dynamics calculations.