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Progress of Theoretical Physics Supplement

A General Perturbation Method for Quantum Mechanical Problems

K. M. Case

Published Jan 1, 1966• 28 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A version of the classical perturbation theory due to Bogoliubov and Mitropolsky is found to be generalizable in a number of directions.Particularly simple is the extension to linear problems of the type encountered in Quantum Mechanics.The advantages of this method are that:a) The complete parallelism of classical and quantum mechanical methods is made obvious, and b) Problems conventionally treated by different methods all can be handled by this single technique.

DOI
10.1143/ptps.37.1

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A version of the classical perturbation theory due to Bogoliubov and Mitropolsky is found to be generalizable in a number of directions.Particularly simple is the extension to linear problems of the type encountered in Quantum Mechanics.The advantages of this method are that:a) The complete parallelism of classical and quantum mechanical methods is made obvious, and b) Problems conventionally treated by different methods all can be handled by this single technique.
Abstract One of the great achievements of the Schrödinger wave-mechanics is the elegance of its perturbation theory, which has brought many problems, formerly considered intractable, within the range of a highly-developed mathematical technique. It is not necessary at this stage to review the numerous applications which have been made of this perturbation theory or to dwell upon its many advantages. The important advance towards an understanding of chemical forces which it has made possible is in itself a considerable achievement. There are, however, certain disadvantages in the perturbation theory in its present form, which limit the extent of its applications to complex problems of atomic and molecular structure. If the interaction of atoms, for instance, is to be calculated, as it most desirable, improved methods will have to be found.
Abstract The theory of perturbations of electronic systems has been considered by various writers, and the method is the basis of the solution of most quantum problems. It therefore seems desirable that the theory should be placed on a firm footing, and this necessitates the discussion of the convergence of the series of perturbations, which up to the present has been avoided. This investigation is all the more necessary since the wave equation of the Stark Effect has no solution of the form assumed by Schrödinger in his original discussion of the perturbation theory. Dirac’s theory leads to a system of linear differential equations in an infinite number of variables, and 2 is devoted to the discussion of the existence theorem for such a system by a matrix method. In 3 the application is made to the perturbation theory in the case of perturbations satisfying the conditions assumed in 2. In 4 the theory is extended so as to include more general types of disturbances. It is shown that, though the series of perturbations does not in general converge, yet it usually possesses the same asymptotic character as in the classical theory, and its use can therefore be justified.
In the course of preparing lectures on elementary quantum theory the author developed a way of presenting time-independent perturbation theory that seems to have some advantages over more familiar presentations. There is nothing fundamentally new in the method, and if any claim of greater power can be made for the new version, it is at best for situations in which high-order perturbations are of interest. Quantum-field theorists will no doubt recognize the relation of this presentation to much that has been done in their subject recently.
The vast majority of problems in quantum mechanics cannot be solved exactly. As in all theories of physics approximation methods are therefore of great importance. Here we shall deal with time-independent problems, which means that we seek the eigenvalues and eigenstates of H . In perturbation theory we split H into two pieces, H = H 0 + H 1 , where we know the spectrum and eigenstates of H 0 , and H 1 is, in some sense, small. Needless to say, a split of this type is often not possible, or at least unknown. In that case one frequently replaces the system by a simpler model for which perturbation theory works, and which, it is hoped, captures some of the essential features of the actual problem at hand. This art of finding models is something that can only be taken up within the context of a particular subject (e.g., solid state or nuclear physics). Here we shall treat systems where good zero-order solutions are rather obvious.
Modern computers have made possible the evaluation of higher order terms of perturbation series. Apart from the empirical work involving numerical calculations, much formal mathematical work has been done on the convergence properties of perturbation series and of Pade approximants which represent them. Some of the modern work in perturbation theory is reviewed in the context of traditional results from the theory of real and complex variables. The two major versions of time-independent perturbation theory, the Rayleigh-Schrodinger (RS) and Brillouin-Wigner (BW) theories, are compared and contrasted, and the alternative techniques for evaluating the terms in the energy series are discussed. The sum-over-states method, the differential equation method and the variational principle method are treated, with emphasis on their inter-relations.