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arXiv:1908.11006 · Physica Scripta

Efficient algebraic solution for a time-dependent quantum harmonic oscillator

Daniel M Tibaduiza, Luís Barbosa Pires, Andreson L C Rego, Daniela Szilard, Carlos Zarro, Carlos Farina

Published Aug 25, 2020• 17 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Using operator ordering techniques based on Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff (BCH) relations of the su(1,1) Lie algebra and a time-splitting approach, we present an alternative method of solving the dynamics of a time-dependent quantum harmonic oscillator for any initial state. We find an iterative analytical solution given by simple recurrence relations that are very well suited for numerical calculations. We use our solution to reproduce and analyse some results from the literature to prove the usefulness of our method. We also discuss the efficiency in squeezing by comparing the parametric resonance modulation with the so-called Janszky-Adam scheme.

DOI
10.1088/1402-4896/abb254

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Abstract Using operator ordering techniques based on Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff (BCH) relations of the su(1,1) Lie algebra and a time-splitting approach, we present an alternative method of solving the dynamics of a time-dependent quantum harmonic oscillator for any initial state. We find an iterative analytical solution given by simple recurrence relations that are very well suited for numerical calculations. We use our solution to reproduce and analyse some results from the literature to prove the usefulness of our method. We also discuss the efficiency in squeezing by comparing the parametric resonance modulation with the so-called Janszky-Adam scheme.
Abstract In this work, we give a quantitative answer to the question: how sudden or how adiabatic is a frequency change in a quantum harmonic oscillator (HO)? We do that by studying the time evolution of a HO which is initially in its fundamental state and whose time-dependent frequency is controlled by a parameter (denoted by ϵ ) that can continuously tune from a totally slow process to a completely abrupt one. We extend a solution based on algebraic methods introduced recently in the literature that is very suited for numerical implementations, from the basis that diagonalizes the initial Hamiltonian to the one that diagonalizes the instantaneous Hamiltonian. Our results are in agreement with the adiabatic theorem and the comparison of the descriptions using the different bases together with the proper interpretation of this theorem allows us to clarify a common inaccuracy present in the literature. More importantly, we obtain a simple expression that relates squeezing to the transition rate and the initial and final frequencies, from which we calculate the adiabatic limit of the transition. Analysis of these results reveals a significant difference in squeezing production between enhancing or diminishing the frequency of a HO in a non-sudden way.
We present a Lie algebraic approach to a Hamiltonian class covering driven, parametric quantum harmonic oscillators where the parameter set-mass, frequency, driving strength, and parametric pumping-is time-dependent. Our unitary-transformation-based approach provides a solution to our general quadratic time-dependent quantum harmonic model. As an example, we show an analytic solution to the periodically driven quantum harmonic oscillator without the rotating wave approximation; it works for any given detuning and coupling strength regime. For the sake of validation, we provide an analytic solution to the historical Caldirola-Kanai quantum harmonic oscillator and show that there exists a unitary transformation within our framework that takes a generalized version of it onto the Paul trap Hamiltonian. In addition, we show how our approach provides the dynamics of generalized models whose Schrödinger equation becomes numerically unstable in the laboratory frame.
The harmonic oscillator is a useful model for the interpretation of many physical phenomena. It is used as a first approximation to the vibration of molecules and crystal lattices and for the quantization of electromagnetic fields, among other applications. One can solve the time-independent Schrodinger equation for the harmonic oscillator in many different ways; operator methods give rise to recurrence relations and generating functions for the stationary states. The coordinate representation renders the coordinate operator diagonal. In this particular representation the eigenvectors of the harmonic oscillator are functions of the coordinate that are commonly expressed in terms of Hermite polynomials. The chapter shows that calculation with the eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator is remarkably simple in the realm of the Lie algebras. The application of the bosonic algebra in theoretical physics and chemistry is so vast that it is impossible even to give a reasonable summary. An important application of the bosonic algebra is the modeling of simple quantum-mechanical systems.
Abstract In quantum mechanics courses, students often solve the Schrödinger equation for the harmonic oscillator with time-independent parameters. However, time-dependent quantum harmonic oscillators are relevant in modeling several problems as, for instance, the description of quantum motion of particles in traps, shortcuts to adiabaticity, generation of squeezed states, as well as quantum scalar fields evolving in expanding universes. In the present paper, we discuss, with a pedagogical approach, the quantum harmonic oscillator with time-dependent frequency via the Lewis–Riesenfeld dynamical invariant method, revisiting the main steps to obtain the wave function associated with this model, and briefly discussing the relation between this oscillator and the generation of squeezed states. As examples of didactic applications of time-dependent harmonic oscillators and the Lewis–Riesenfeld method in quantum mechanics courses, we solve the following problems: the calculation of the transition probability associated with a harmonic oscillator which undergoes jumps in its frequency, and the analysis of the dynamics of a quantum particle in a Paul trap.
New generalized squeezed states for the time-dependent harmonic oscillator are found through the theory of invariants. Our method gives a comparatively clearer picture than methods using evolution operators because we can establish a direct connection between the classical and quantum solutions. The additional significance of our method is that it is possible to find new generalized quantum squeezed states from just one particular solution to the classical time-dependent oscillator. Accordingly, more general results for the variance of x (squared uncertainty) are found for the cases of linear sweep of the restoring force and compared to recent results encountered in the literature.
Abstract This paper advocates writing the eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator without Hermite polynomials, by means of the following recurrence relation: Ψ n = 2 α / n x Ψ n − 1 − ( n − 1 ) / n Ψ n − 2 ( n > 0 ) , with Ψ 0 = ( α / π ) 1 / 4 e − α x 2 / 2 . It is easy to prove that these functions are eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator. It is shown that many of the exercises related to the harmonic oscillator found in textbooks can be solved in a simple and elegant way by using this recurrence relation.