A field theoretical formulation of the rather easy problem of N identical, one-dimensional bosons, interacting pairwise via harmonic oscillator potentials of equal force constants is given, in a way similar to the way the nonlinear Schrodinger model provides a field theoretical formulation of a one-dimensional, delta -function Bose gas. The nonlinear integro-differential equation obtained for the complex scalar field of the model is treated classically, and solved in the semiclassical limit of a large number of particles. Working in the centre of mass frame of the field, a sequence of operators that would raise or lower the energy of a state by definite amounts without changing its particle number are constructed from certain bilinear expressions in the field. These operators have, in the limit of a large number of particles, commutation relations similar to those of the Fourier modes of a compact free field, except that the first mode is missing as a result of the fact that the field in the centre of mass frame is subject to the obvious constraint that its centre of mass always coincides with the coordinate origin. The quantum states can be labelled by the total centre of mass momentum, and the quasi-particle numbers in each of the independent oscillator modes. The energy spectrum of the system is calculated, giving the same results as the exact, quantum-mechanical N-body analysis.
A field theoretical formulation of the rather easy problem of N identical, one-dimensional bosons, interacting pairwise via harmonic oscillator potentials of equal force constants is given, in a way similar to the way the nonlinear Schrodinger model provides a field theoretical formulation of a one-dimensional, delta -function Bose gas. The nonlinear integro-differential equation obtained for the complex scalar field of the model is treated classically, and solved in the semiclassical limit of a large number of particles. Working in the centre of mass frame of the field, a sequence of operators that would raise or lower the energy of a state by definite amounts without changing its particle number are constructed from certain bilinear expressions in the field. These operators have, in the limit of a large number of particles, commutation relations similar to those of the Fourier modes of a compact free field, except that the first mode is missing as a result of the fact that the field in the centre of mass frame is subject to the obvious constraint that its centre of mass always coincides with the coordinate origin. The quantum states can be labelled by the total centre of mass momentum, and the quasi-particle numbers in each of the independent oscillator modes. The energy spectrum of the system is calculated, giving the same results as the exact, quantum-mechanical N-body analysis.
We consider an analytic way to make the interacting N -body problem tractable by using harmonic oscillators in place of the relevant two-body interactions. The two-body terms of the N -body Hamiltonian are approximated by considering the energy spectrum and radius of the relevant two-body problem which gives frequency, centre position, and zero point energy of the corresponding harmonic oscillator. Adding external harmonic one-body terms, we proceed to solve the full quantum mechanical N -body problem analytically for arbitrary masses. Energy eigenvalues, eigenmodes, and correlation functions like density matrices can then be computed analytically. As a first application of our formalism, we consider the N -boson problem in two and three dimensions where we fit the two-body interactions to agree with the well-known zero-range model for two particles in a harmonic trap. Subsequently, condensate fractions, spectra, radii, and eigenmodes are discussed as a function of dimension, boson number N , and scattering length obtained in the zero-range model. We find that energies, radii, and condensate fraction increase with scattering length as well as boson number, while radii decrease with increasing boson number. Our formalism is completely general and can also be applied to fermions, Bose–Fermi mixtures, and to more exotic geometries.
A many-boson model is formulated and expressions for its exact eigenstates and energies are obtained for both an arbitrary finite and an infinite number of bosons. The Hamiltonian of the model contains interactions between bosons whose momenta have equal magnitudes but opposite directions. The matrix elements of this interaction are taken to be a constant over a range of momenta surrounding k = 0. The ground state of the 2N-particle system is shown to be a product of N pair-creation operators acting on the vacuum state. Each of these pair-creation operators depends upon one of N parameters which are called pair energies. The N pair energies are shown to satisfy a coupled system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The energy of the state is the sum of the pair energies and the occupation probabilities of the single-particle levels are given as simple functions of the pair energies. Similar results are derived for the excited states of the system and for the states of an odd number of particles. These results are valid for both a repulsive and an attractive interaction, since they only depend upon the form of the interaction. The equations are solved algebraically for two model systems. The first of these is one whose single-particle kinetic energy takes on only one value. The equations for this system are solved for an arbitrary interaction strength and it is shown that the pair energies are proportional to the zeros of certain Laguerre polynomials. The second system is one in which the single-particle kinetic energy can take on two values. The equations for this system are solved in the strong repulsive-interaction limit and it is shown that the pair energies are proportional to the zeros of certain Jacobi polynomials. The excitation energies of this second system are shown to be proportional to 1/n and the occupations of the two single-particle levels in the ground state are shown to be proportional to n, where n is the total number of particles. For a repulsive interaction and an arbitrary single-particle spectrum, the algebraic equations for the pair energies are converted into an approximate integral equation for the density of roots which is accurate to order 1/n. This integral equation is solved for a strong interaction which, in the context of this model, means an interaction whose strength is greater than a constant times 1/V⅔ in the limit of a large volume. From this solution, the following results are obtained: (1) the lowest two single-particle levels have occupations of order n; (2) the excitation spectrum is that of a set of noninteracting quasiparticles; and (3) the quasiparticle spectrum has two zeros corresponding to the lowest two single-particle levels. Apart from the presence of two zeros, the quasiparticle spectrum does not differ significantly from that of the noninteracting particles.
The quantum-mechanical problems of N 1-dimensional equal particles of mass m interacting pairwise via quadratic (``harmonical'') and/or inversely quadratic (``centrifugal'') potentials is solved. In the first case, characterized by the pair potential ¼mω2(xi − xj)2 + g(xi − xj)−2, g > −ℏ2/(4m), the complete energy spectrum (in the center-of-mass frame) is given by the formula E=ℏω(12N)12[12(N−1)+12N(N−1)(a+12)+ ∑ l=2Nlnl],with a = ½(1 + 4mgℏ−2)½. The N − 1 quantum numbers nl are nonnegative integers; each set {nl; l = 2, 3, ⋯, N} characterizes uniquely one eigenstate. This energy spectrum can also be written in the form Es = ℏω(½N)½ [½(N − 1) + ½N(N − 1)(a + ½) + s], s = 0, 2, 3, 4, ⋯, the multiplicity of the sth level being then given by the number of different sets of N − 1 nonnegative integers nl that are consistent with the condition s=∑l=2Nlnl. These equations are valid independently of the statistics that the particles satisfy, if g ≠ 0; for g = 0, the equations remain valid with a = ½ for Fermi statistics, a = −½ for Bose statistics. The eigenfunctions corresponding to these energy levels are not obtained explicitly, but they are rather fully characterized. A more general model is similarly solved, in which the N particles are divided in families, with the same quadratic interaction acting between all pairs, but with the inversely quadratic interaction acting only between particles belonging to the same family, with a strength that may be different for different families. The second model, characterized by the pair potential g(xi − xj)−2, g > −ℏ2/(4m), contains only scattering states. It is proved that an initial scattering configuration, characterized (in the phase space sector defined by the inequalities xi ≥ xi.1, i = 1, 2, ⋯, N = 1, to which attention may be restricted without loss of generality) by (initial) momenta pi, i = 1, 2, ⋯, N, goes over into a final configuration characterized uniquely by the (final) momenta pi′, with pi′=pN+1−i. This remarkably simple outcome is a peculiarity of the case with equal particles (i.e., equal masses and equal strengths of all pair potentials).
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.
We consider the many-body spectra of interacting bosonic quantum fields on a lattice in the semiclassical limit of large particle number N. We show that the many-body density of states can be expressed as a coherent sum over oscillating long-wavelength contributions given by periodic, nonperturbative solutions of the, typically nonlinear, wave equation of the classical (mean-field) limit. To this end, we construct the semiclassical approximation for both the smooth and oscillatory parts of the many-body density of states in terms of a trace formula starting from the exact path integral form of the propagator between many-body quadrature states. We therefore avoid the use of a complexified classical limit characteristic of the coherent state representation. While quantum effects such as vacuum fluctuations and gauge invariance are exactly accounted for, our semiclassical approach captures quantum interference and therefore is valid well beyond the Ehrenfest time where naive quantum-classical correspondence breaks down. Remarkably, due to a special feature of harmonic systems with incommensurable frequencies, our formulas are generically valid also in the free-field case of noninteracting bosons.
The isotropic harmonic oscillator in N dimensions is shown to have an underlying symmetry group O(2,1)×O(N ) which implies a unique result for the energy spectrum of the system.Raising and lowering operators analogous to those of the one-dimensional oscillator are given for each value of the angular momentum parameter.This allows the construction of an infinite number of coherent states to be carried out.In the N = 1 case there is a twofold family of coherent states, a particular linear combination of which coincides with the single set already well known for that case.Wave functions are readily derived which require only the solution of a first order differential equation, an attribute generally characteristic of group theoretical approaches.