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The Journal of Chemical Physics

Numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in spherical coordinates by Fourier-transform methods

Christopher E. Dateo, Horia I. Metiu

Published Nov 15, 1991• 44 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a numerical Fourier-transform method for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in spherical coordinates. The time propagation is accomplished with a novel implementation of a Crank–Nicholson scheme combined with a Feit–Fleck split-operator method. Calculations on model problems give results that are in excellent agreement with those obtained by other methods. The procedure avoids the numerical instabilities associated with the division by the sine of the polar angle. The propagator is unitary, does not require the calculation of any matrix elements, and uses no matrix multiplications other than fast Fourier transforms.

DOI
10.1063/1.461365

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We present a numerical Fourier-transform method for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in spherical coordinates. The time propagation is accomplished with a novel implementation of a Crank–Nicholson scheme combined with a Feit–Fleck split-operator method. Calculations on model problems give results that are in excellent agreement with those obtained by other methods. The procedure avoids the numerical instabilities associated with the division by the sine of the polar angle. The propagator is unitary, does not require the calculation of any matrix elements, and uses no matrix multiplications other than fast Fourier transforms.
Abstract The time-dependent Schrödinger equation is fundamental to quantum mechanics, describing the evolution of quantum systems. This study introduces a novel numerical approach that extends and modifies the Crank-Nicholson method to solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. This method is designed to enhance both the precision and performance of computational results, especially in the context of quantum tunneling phenomena and applications that require high accuracy over long periods. To assess the precision and performance of the modified Crank-Nicolson method, we benchmark it against two well-known numerical methods: the Runge-Kutta method and the Split-Step Fourier method. Quantum tunneling is selected as the case study due to its relevance in quantum physics applications. Comparative analysis is based on numerical error metrics. The proposed method can be applied to other physical phenomena, expanding its potential application in physics research and technology industries.
Abstract— The fundamental possibility of a numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a wave function defined on a non-uniform coordinate grid by the spectral method using the fast Fourier transform algorithm is discussed. The method is based on reducing the non-uniform coordinate grid to a uniform one by a non-linear transformation of coordinates and approximating the obtained evolution operator using the Lie–Trotter–Suzuki product formula. Algorithms for the numerical solution of the first and second orders are developed.
In recent decades a lot of research has been done on the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. On the one hand, some of the proposed numerical methods do not need any kind of matrix inversion, but source terms cannot be easily implemented into this schemes; on the other, some methods involving matrix inversion can implement source terms in a natural way, but are not easy to implement into some computational software programs widely used by non-experts in programming (e.g. Mathematica). We present a simple method to solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation by using a standard Crank-Nicholson method together with a Cayley's form for the finite-difference representation of evolution operator. Here, such standard numerical scheme has been simplified by inverting analytically the matrix of the evolution operator in position representation. The analytical inversion of the N x N matrix let us easily and fully implement the numerical method, with or without source terms, into Mathematica or even into any numerical computing language or computational software used for scientific computing.