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arXiv:1509.05968 · American Journal of Physics

The evolution of oscillator wave functions

Mark Andrews

Published Mar 21, 2016• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate how wave functions evolve with time in the harmonic oscillator. We first review the periodicity properties over each multiple of a quarter of the classical oscillation period. Then we show that any wave function can be simply transformed so that its centroid, defined by the expectation values of position and momentum, remains at rest at the center of the oscillator. This implies that we need only consider the evolution of this restricted class of wave functions; the evolution of all others can be reduced to these. The evolution of the spread in position Δx and momentum Δp throws light on energy and uncertainty and on squeezed and coherent states. Finally, we show that any wave function can be transformed so that Δx and Δp do not change with time and that the evolution of all wave functions can easily be found from the evolution of those at rest at the origin with unchanging Δx and Δp.

DOI
10.1119/1.4941246

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We investigate how wave functions evolve with time in the harmonic oscillator. We first review the periodicity properties over each multiple of a quarter of the classical oscillation period. Then we show that any wave function can be simply transformed so that its centroid, defined by the expectation values of position and momentum, remains at rest at the center of the oscillator. This implies that we need only consider the evolution of this restricted class of wave functions; the evolution of all others can be reduced to these. The evolution of the spread in position Δx and momentum Δp throws light on energy and uncertainty and on squeezed and coherent states. Finally, we show that any wave function can be transformed so that Δx and Δp do not change with time and that the evolution of all wave functions can easily be found from the evolution of those at rest at the origin with unchanging Δx and Δp.
The motion of wave packets can be easily determined for any Hamiltonian that is quadratic in position and momentum, even if the coefficients of the terms in the Hamiltonian vary with time. The method is based on the existence of an invariant operator, linear in position and momentum, the coefficients of these operators being solutions of the corresponding classical system. This immediately yields a set of very simple wave packets whose evolution is easily determined, and whose magnitude has the same form as the energy eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator (i.e., Gaussian or Hermite–Gaussian). This set provides a complete basis for finding the evolution of any state and the exact propagator is readily determined. For the harmonic oscillator, this set includes coherent states, squeezed states, displaced number states, and squeezed number states as special cases. The following important properties hold for every quadratic Hamiltonian, no matter what time dependence is present in the Hamiltonian: (1) The motion of the centroid of any wave packet separates from that of any moments relative to the centroid. (2) Every detail of the evolution of the quantum system can be calculated from the solutions of the corresponding classical system. (3) Wave functions of Gaussian (or Hermite–Gaussian) form will retain that form as they evolve.
A single closed-form expression is obtained for the probability amplitude ψ(x,t) for a harmonic oscillator whose initial state ψ(x,0) has a minimum value for the uncertainty product of position x and momentum p, Δx Δp=ℏ/2. This form describes both coherent and squeezed states. Oscillations in time for uncertainties in position and momentum, characteristic of squeezed states, are shown to follow directly from the derived form of ψ(x,t) and from Heisenberg equations of motion for operators x̂ and p̂. Expressions for average photon number and its uncertainty are obtained from calculations of average oscillator energy and fluctuations about this energy.
Abstract Moments are expectation values over wave functions (or averages over a set of classical particles) of products of powers of position and momentum. For the harmonic oscillator, the evolution in the quantum case is very closely related to that of the classical case. Here we consider the non-relativistic evolution of moments of all orders for the oscillator in one dimension and investigate invariant combinations of the moments. In particular, we find an infinite set of invariants that enable us to express the evolution of any moment in terms of sinusoids. We also find explicit expressions for the inverse of these relations, thus enabling the expression of the evolution of any moment in terms of the initial set of moments. More detailed attention is given to moments of the third and fourth order in terms of the invariant combinations.
The dynamical properties of the wave and particle aspects of the harmonic oscillator can be studied with the help of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation (SE). Especially the time-dependence of maximum and width of Gaussian wave packet solutions allow to show the evolution and connections of those two complementary aspects. The investigation of the relations between the equations describing wave and particle aspects leads to an alternative description of the considered systems. This can be achieved by means of a Newtonian equation for a complex variable in connection with a conservation law for a nonclassical angular momentum-type quantity. With the help of this complex variable, it is also possible to develop a Hamiltonian formalism for the wave aspect contained in the SE, which allows to describe the dynamics of the position and momentum uncertainties. In this case the Hamiltonian function is equivalent to the difference between the mean value of the Hamiltonian operator and the classical Hamiltonian function.
In this work we present the classical and quantum solutions of time-dependent coupled harmonic oscillators. In these systems the masses, frequencies and coupling parameter (k) are functions of time. Four systems are investigated. To obtain the classical solutions we use a coordinate and momentum transformations along with a canonical transformation to write the original Hamiltonian as the sum of two Hamiltonians of uncoupled harmonic oscillators with modified time-dependent frequencies and unitary masses. We find the analytical expression for position and velocity of each oscillator of the systems. To obtain the exact quantum solutions we use a unitary transformation and the Lewis and Riesenfeld invariant method. The wave functions obtained are written in terms of a c-number quantity () which is solution of the Milne-Pinney equation. For each system we solve the respective Milne-Pinney equation and discuss how the quantum fluctuations and the uncertainty product evolve with time.
Some of the most enduring questions in physics--including the quantum measurement problem and the quantization of gravity--involve the interaction of a quantum system with a classical environment. Two linearly coupled harmonic oscillators provide a simple, exactly soluble model for exploring such interaction. Even the ground state of a pair of identical oscillators exhibits effects on the quantum nature of one oscillator, e.g., a diminution of position uncertainty, and an increase in momentum uncertainty and uncertainty product, from their unperturbed values. Interaction between quantum and classical oscillators is simulated by constructing a quantum state with one oscillator initially in its ground state, the other in a coherent or Glauber state. The subsequent wave function for this state is calculated exactly, both for identical and distinct oscillators. The reduced probability distribution for the quantum oscillator, and its position and momentum expectation values and uncertainties, are obtained from this wave function. The oscillator acquires an oscillation amplitude corresponding to a beating between the normal modes of the system; the behavior of the position and momentum uncertainties can become quite complicated. For oscillators with equal unperturbed frequencies, i.e., at resonance, the uncertainties exhibit a time-dependent quantum squeezing which can be extreme.