  This Feature Article presents an overview of the current status of Ring
Polymer Molecular Dynamics (RPMD) rate theory. We first analyze the RPMD
approach and its connection to quantum transition-state theory. We then focus
on its practical applications to prototypical chemical reactions in the gas
phase, which demonstrate how accurate and reliable RPMD is for calculating
thermal chemical reaction rate coefficients in multifarious cases. This review
serves as an important checkpoint in RPMD rate theory development, which shows
that RPMD is shifting from being just one of recent novel ideas to a
well-established and validated alternative to conventional techniques for
calculating thermal chemical rate coefficients. We also hope it will motivate
further applications of RPMD to various chemical reactions.
