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arXiv:2109.13707 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

Path-integral treatment of quantum bouncers

Yen Lee Loh, Chee Kwan Gan

Published Aug 23, 2021• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract The one-sided bouncer (1SB) and the symmetric bouncer (SB) involve a one-dimensional particle in a piecewise linear potential. For such problems, the time-dependent quantum mechanical propagator cannot be found in closed form. The semiclassical Feynman path integral (PI) is a very appealing approach, as it approximates the propagator by a closed-form expression (a sum over a finite number of classical paths). In this paper we solve the classical path enumeration problem. We obtain closed-form expressions for the initial velocity, bounce times, focal times, action, van Vleck determinant, and Morse index for each classical path. We calculate the propagator within the semiclassical approximation. The numerical results agree with eigenfunction expansion results away from caustics. We derive mappings between the 1SB and SB, which explains why each bounce of the 1SB increases the Morse index by 2 and results in a phase change of π . We interpret the semiclassical Feynman PI to obtain visualizations of matter wave propagation based on interference between classical paths, in analogy with the traditional visualization of light wave propagation as interference between classical ray paths.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8121/ac2008

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Abstract The one-sided bouncer (1SB) and the symmetric bouncer (SB) involve a one-dimensional particle in a piecewise linear potential. For such problems, the time-dependent quantum mechanical propagator cannot be found in closed form. The semiclassical Feynman path integral (PI) is a very appealing approach, as it approximates the propagator by a closed-form expression (a sum over a finite number of classical paths). In this paper we solve the classical path enumeration problem. We obtain closed-form expressions for the initial velocity, bounce times, focal times, action, van Vleck determinant, and Morse index for each classical path. We calculate the propagator within the semiclassical approximation. The numerical results agree with eigenfunction expansion results away from caustics. We derive mappings between the 1SB and SB, which explains why each bounce of the 1SB increases the Morse index by 2 and results in a phase change of π . We interpret the semiclassical Feynman PI to obtain visualizations of matter wave propagation based on interference between classical paths, in analogy with the traditional visualization of light wave propagation as interference between classical ray paths.
The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics in the semiclassical or WKB approximation provides a physically intuitive way of relating a classical system to its quantum analog. A fruitful way of studying quantum chaos is based upon applying the Gutzwiller periodic orbit sum rule, a result derived by the path integral method in the WKB approximation. This provides some motivation for learning about path integral techniques. In this paper a pedagogical example of the path integral formalism is presented in the hope of conveying the basic physical and mathematical concepts. The ‘‘quantum bouncer’’ is studied—the quantum version of a particle moving in one dimension above a perfectly reflecting surface while subject to a constant force directed toward the surface. The classical counterpart of this system is a ball bouncing on a floor in a constant gravitational field, collisions with the floor being assumed to be elastic. Path integration is used to derive the energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the quantum bouncer in the WKB or semiclassical approximation. The results are shown to be the same as those obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation in the same approximation.
Propagation of the Wigner function is studied on two levels of semiclassical propagation: one based on the Van Vleck propagator, the other on phase-space path integration. Leading quantum corrections to the classical Liouville propagator take the form of a time-dependent quantum spot. Its oscillatory structure depends on whether the underlying classical flow is elliptic or hyperbolic. It can be interpreted as the result of interference of a pair of classical trajectories, indicating how quantum coherences are to be propagated semiclassically in phase space. The phase-space path-integral approach allows for a finer resolution of the quantum spot in terms of Airy functions.
We present an alternative treatment for simple time-independent quantum systems in one dimension, which can be used in the context of an elementary introduction to quantum physics using the Feynman approach. The method is based on representation of the energy-dependent propagator (or Green function) as a sum of complex amplitudes over all possible paths, classical and non-classical, at fixed energy. We treat both confined and open systems with piecewise-constant potentials, obtaining exact results. We introduce an approximation scheme to extend the method to smooth potentials, recovering the Van Vleck-Gutzwiller propagator. Finally, we discuss the educational application of the method.
Initial-value phase-space integral representations for a time-dependent propagator are obtained in the coordinate and momentum representations. To do so we first derive nonuniform semiclassical propagators for the various representations, obtaining the global-time semiclassical phase indices (Maslov indices) due to caustics. Results include readily implementable general phase index formulas for any type of caustic, including cases where the Morse index theorem is inapplicable. The method of obtaining the indices is general and based simply on concatenating uniform short-time propagators which also gives rise to alternative path-integral forms. Initial-value integral representations are then derived by introducing a method of extending short-time initial-value propagator formulas to global times via a simple stationary-phase asympotoic-equivalence approach. The integrals reduce to the nonuniform semiclassical propagators within the stationary-phase approximation, are uniform about caustics, and have integrand phases which properly account for the global-time phases in terms of appropriate Maslov indices. The initial-value integrals are also consistently derived via a canonical mapping procedure on the coordinate-space path integral. Initial-value integrals for time-dependent wave-function propgation are also given. Evaluation of the initial-value integral expressions do not require trajectory root searches for propagation.
Rather general expressions are derived which represent the semiclassical time-dependent propagator as an integral over initial conditions for classical trajectories. These allow one to propagate time-dependent wave functions without searching for special trajectories that satisfy two-time boundary conditions. In many circumstances, the integral expressions are free of singularities and provide globally valid uniform asymptotic approximations. In special cases, the expressions for the propagators are related to existing semiclassical wave function propagation techniques. More generally, the present expressions suggest a large class of other, potentially useful methods. The behavior of the integral expressions in certain limiting cases is analyzed to obtain simple formulas for the Maslov index that may be used to compute the Van Vleck propagator in a variety of representations.
We present a comprehensive study of semiclassical phase-space propagation in the Wigner representation, emphasizing numerical applications, in particular as an initial-value representation. Two semiclassical approximation schemes are discussed. The propagator of the Wigner function based on van Vleck's approximation replaces the Liouville propagator by a quantum spot with an oscillatory pattern reflecting the interference between pairs of classical trajectories. Employing phase-space path integration instead, caustics in the quantum spot are resolved in terms of Airy functions. We apply both to two benchmark models of nonlinear molecular potentials, the Morse oscillator and the quartic double well, to test them in standard tasks such as computing autocorrelation functions and propagating coherent states. The performance of semiclassical Wigner propagation is very good even in the presence of marked quantum effects, e.g., in coherent tunneling and in propagating Schrodinger cat states, and of classical chaos in four-dimensional phase space. We suggest options for an effective numerical implementation of our method and for integrating it in Monte-Carlo-Metropolis algorithms suitable for high-dimensional systems.