Machine-learning graph convolutional electronic propagators

We present a graph-based machine-learning framework for simulating the time evolution of electronic wavefunctions and densities in quantum systems. Inspired by parallels between time-dependent quantum propagators and spectral graph convolutions, we employ a recursive Chebyshev graph neural network architecture capable of learning the dynamics of electronic processes across a range of external potentials and Hamiltonians. Two model variants are introduced: one that evolves the full complex-valued wavefunction and the other that propagates only the electron density. Both models are trained on trajectory data generated from tight-binding Hamiltonians and a time-dependent electron-phonon coupled system. Our results demonstrate that wavefunction-based models achieve near-exact long-time propagation across static and dynamic regimes, while density-only models maintain strong performance using physics-informed loss functions, even in the absence of phase information. This work lays the foundation for coarse-grained, resolution-independent propagators for electronic dynamics and opens new pathways for scalable quantum simulations in complex molecular and condensed-phase systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Journal of Chemical Physics
Published
2026-01-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0305033
Primary Topic
Machine Learning in Materials Science
Type
article
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article

Machine-learning graph convolutional electronic propagators

Nicholas E. Jackson, Annabella DeBernardo
The Journal of Chemical Physics
Machine Learning in Materials Science
article

Machine-learning graph convolutional electronic propagators

Nicholas E. Jackson, Annabella DeBernardo
article en

Abstract

We present a graph-based machine-learning framework for simulating the time evolution of electronic wavefunctions and densities in quantum systems. Inspired by parallels between time-dependent quantum propagators and spectral graph convolutions, we employ a recursive Chebyshev graph neural network architecture capable of learning the dynamics of electronic processes across a range of external potentials and Hamiltonians. Two model variants are introduced: one that evolves the full complex-valued wavefunction and the other that propagates only the electron density. Both models are trained on trajectory data generated from tight-binding Hamiltonians and a time-dependent electron-phonon coupled system. Our results demonstrate that wavefunction-based models achieve near-exact long-time propagation across static and dynamic regimes, while density-only models maintain strong performance using physics-informed loss functions, even in the absence of phase information. This work lays the foundation for coarse-grained, resolution-independent propagators for electronic dynamics and opens new pathways for scalable quantum simulations in complex molecular and condensed-phase systems.

The Journal of Chemical PhysicsVol. 164(4)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), University of Illinois System (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 81%
Machine Learning in Materials Science
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