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Physical Review A

Time-evolution operators for (coupled) time-dependent oscillators and Lie algebraic structure theory

Fritz Wolf, H. J. Korsch

Published Mar 1, 1988• 49 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper deals with the application of Lie algebraic structure theory to time-dependent quantum systems making use of the Levi-Malcev decomposition of the Lie algebra generated by the Hamiltonian and the Wei-Norman representation of the time-evolution operator. In particular, (coupled) harmonic-oscillator systems are studied. Explicit formulas for expectation values and transition probabilities are derived.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.37.1934

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This paper deals with the application of Lie algebraic structure theory to time-dependent quantum systems making use of the Levi-Malcev decomposition of the Lie algebra generated by the Hamiltonian and the Wei-Norman representation of the time-evolution operator. In particular, (coupled) harmonic-oscillator systems are studied. Explicit formulas for expectation values and transition probabilities are derived.
Based on a Liouville-space formulation of open systems, we present two methods to solve the quantum dynamics of coupled harmonic oscillators experiencing Markovian loss. The starting point is the quantum master equation in Liouville space which is generated by a Liouvillian that induces a Lie algebra. We show how this Lie algebra allows to define ladder operators that construct Fock-like eigenstates of the Liouvillian. These eigenstates are used to decompose the time-evolved density matrix and, together with the accompanying eigenvalues, provide insight into the transport properties of the lossy system. Additionally, a Wei-Norman expansion of the generated time evolution can be found by a structure analysis of the algebra. This structure analysis yields a construction principle to implement effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians in lossy systems.
The unitary operator V ( t ) that diagonalizes the time-dependent quadratic Hamiltonian (TDQH) into a time-dependent harmonic oscillator (TDHO) is obtained using a Lie algebra. The method involves a factorization of the TDQH into a TDHO through a unitary Bogoliubov transformation in terms of creation and annihilation operators with time-dependent coefficients. It is shown that this operator can be easily achieved by means of the factorization, together with the commonly known Wei–Norman theorem. We discuss the conditions under which this unitary operator converges to the evolution operator U ( t ) of the Schrödinger equation for the TDQH, giving then a straightforward calculation of the evolution operator with respect to the procedures published in the literature.
A representation of invariants in quantum mechanics for a general time-dependent Hamiltonian is provided. The main properties of these operators and their relevance for solving the Schrödinger equation are discussed in light of this representation. In particular, the well-known Lewis and Riesenfeld’s method is shown to be recovered quite directly by the present approach. A detailed analysis is concerned with Hamiltonians which at each instant are elements of a finite dimensional Lie algebra. Exploiting the Wei and Norman’s theory for such Hamiltonians, it is found that the evolution of a quantum system is always determined, in part or fully, by an invariant which belongs to the same algebra.
The unitary operators U(t), describing the quantum time evolution of systems with a time-dependent Hamiltonian, can be constructed in an explicit manner using the method of time-dependent invariants. We clarify the role of Lie-algebraic techniques in this context and elaborate the theory for SU(2) and SU(1,1). We show that the constructions known as Magnus expansion and Wei-Norman expansion correspond with different representations of the rotation group. A simpler construction is obtained when representing rotations in terms of Euler angles. The many applications are postponed to Part II of the paper.
We study quantum dynamics generated by time-dependent Hamiltonians in Krylov space, the minimal subspace in which the evolution takes place. We establish a direct link between dynamics in the time-dependent Krylov subspace and the underlying Lie-algebraic structure of the Hamiltonian. We develop a general framework in which the dynamics in the time-dependent Krylov subspace is generated by ladder operators of the associated Lie algebra. In particular, we identify the minimal conditions under which the exact time-dependent Krylov dynamics is naturally determined by the interaction-picture Hamiltonian and governed by an embedded sl(2,C)\mathfrak{sl}(2,\mathbb{C})sl(2,C) subalgebra. We further show that an exact single-exponential representation of the time-evolution operator gives rise to a distinct time-independent Krylov dynamics in a unitarily related basis, from which the exact time-dependent Krylov dynamics can nevertheless be recovered. We also extend the framework to the oscillator algebra as the simplest extension of the nilpotent Heisenberg--Weyl algebra, and provide further examples, including the translated and dilated harmonic oscillator, systems governed by closed Virasoro subalgebras, a spin in a rotating magnetic field, and higher-dimensional generalizations for multi-level systems. In addition, we introduce a new quantum speed limit to the complexity growth rate generated by a time-dependent generator and show that, for evolutions governed by a Lie algebra, it retains the same functional form as in the time-independent case. Remarkably, saturation of this bound is strongly affected by temporal driving and persists only when the Hamiltonian commutes with itself at different times. These results establish a unified framework for characterizing operator growth and Krylov complexity in time-dependent quantum systems with underlying Lie-algebraic structures.