Non-Markovian dynamics in ice nucleation

Abstract

In simulation studies of crystallization, the size of the largest crystalline nucleus is often used as a reaction coordinate to monitor the progress of the nucleation process. Here, we investigate, for the case of homogeneous ice nucleation, whether the nucleus size exhibits Markovian dynamics, as assumed in classical nucleation theory. Using 300 independent nucleation trajectories generated by molecular dynamics, we evaluate the mean recurrence time required to reach selected values of the largest nucleus size. Early recurrences consistently take longer than later ones, revealing a clear history dependence and thus non-Markovian dynamics. To identify the slow modes underlying this behavior, we analyze several structural descriptors of the nucleus, observing subtle but systematic differences between nuclei at early and late recurrences. By training a neural network on 2700 short trajectories to learn the committor, we identify relevant collective variables. Based on these features, symbolic regression provides a compact approximation of the committor, that is, an improved reaction coordinate, which we subsequently test for Markovian dynamics.