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Physical Review E

Quantum signatures of non-Newtonian orbits in the asymmetric infinite square well

Todd Keene Timberlake, Molly Nelson

Published Mar 31, 2009• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

An infinite square well with a rectangular step is one of the simplest systems to exhibit non-Newtonian ray-splitting periodic orbits in the classical limit. We examine eigenvalue spacings in the quantum version of this system. The sequence of spacings shows deviations from uniformity at energies just above the step height and distinct resonance features are visible at certain energies. Semiclassical analysis shows that these features are directly related to the presence of non-Newtonian orbits in the classical system. In addition, the resonance features are shown to produce revivals in suitably constructed wave packets peaked at the resonance energy.

DOI
10.1103/physreve.79.036213

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An infinite square well with a rectangular step is one of the simplest systems to exhibit non-Newtonian ray-splitting periodic orbits in the classical limit. We examine eigenvalue spacings in the quantum version of this system. The sequence of spacings shows deviations from uniformity at energies just above the step height and distinct resonance features are visible at certain energies. Semiclassical analysis shows that these features are directly related to the presence of non-Newtonian orbits in the classical system. In addition, the resonance features are shown to produce revivals in suitably constructed wave packets peaked at the resonance energy.
In the infinite square well, any wave function will return to its initial state at integer multiples of the revival time. Most quantum systems do not exhibit perfect revivals, but some exhibit partial revivals in which the wave function returns close to its initial state. Subsequent partial revivals usually deteriorate in quality. We discuss the reasons for the perfect revivals in the infinite square well and how a small change in the potential disrupts the revivals. As an example, we examine partial revivals of a Gaussian wave packet in an infinite square well with a step. First-order and second-order perturbation theory show that the rate at which revivals decay depends on the location of the step.
In the familiar concept of ray splitting, a ray incident on an interface splits into reflected and transmitted rays. Tunnelling adds something new to ray splitting: an incident Newtonian ray splits into a reflected Newtonian ray and a transmitted ray with complex classical action?a ghost orbit. Using novel periodic-orbit expansion techniques, we are able to compute explicitly and analytically energy eigenvalues of an energy-scaling one-dimensional step potential. Inclusion of all periodic orbits in our series expansions, in particular a class of orbits called pure ghosts with imaginary classical action, makes our formulae exact. We suggest an experiment that may be used to verify the importance of pure ghosts.
We present an analytical investigation of revival phenomena in the finite square-well potential. The classical motion, revival, and super-revival time scales are derived exactly for wave packets excited in the finite well. These time scales exhibit a richer dependence on wave-packet energy and on potential-well depth than has been found in other quantum systems: They explain, for example, the difficulties in exciting wave packets with strong classical features at the bottom of a finite well, or with clearly resolved super-revivals in a shallow well. In the proper regions of validity, the time scales predict the instances of wave-packet reformation extremely accurately. Revivals at the bottom of the well are explored as a ``universal'' limit of the general theory, which offers the clearest connection with the series of fractional and full revivals seen in the dynamics of the infinite square-well potential.
We compute the Fourier transform [ρ(L)] of the quantum-mechanical energy level density for the problem of a particle in an annular infinite well (or circular disk) of outer (inner) radius R max =RR min =fR. For various values of f=R min /R we then explicitly compare ρ(L) to the lengths of the classical periodic orbits. We also comment on the diffraction peak seen by Reimann et al. in this system, noting that at least one recurrence of that feature is present in the spectrum, and discussing the corresponding effective path lengths for these features.
Fractional revivals of wave packets in an infinite square well are scrutinized with a viewpoint rooted in Fourier analysis, and a compact relation, expressing the wavefunction Ψ( x , t ) for certain values of t in terms of spatially displaced copies of Ψ( x ,0), is derived without appealing to a classical analogy ; conditions for the appearance of an interference pattern in a plot of the position probability density of a wave packet are deduced, along with related results obtained previously from different considerations, with minimal effort. The specific case of a packet of Gaussian shape is analysed in greater detail to provide concrete illustrations of fractional revivals with or without interference between overlapping copies of wave packets, depending on whether a finite value of the so-called classical time can or cannot be assigned to the wave packet.