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European Journal of Physics

Bouncing in an oscillatory gravitational field

J L Martin, P. Strange

Published Apr 16, 2021• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We apply the time-dependent supersymmetry methods of Bagrov, Samsonov and Shekoyan to the Schrödinger equation for a quantum bouncer. A new family of potentials, that correspond to the linear gravitational potential with a small oscillatory component superimposed upon it, is produced. Both the frequency and amplitude of the oscillatory part can be controlled and the corresponding eigenfunctions are found. These solutions are explored and basic observables are calculated. In particular we examine how motion in such a potential can be distinguished from motion in a linear gravitational field. We also point out some pedagogical aspects of this project.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6404/abf8c5

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Abstract We apply the time-dependent supersymmetry methods of Bagrov, Samsonov and Shekoyan to the Schrödinger equation for a quantum bouncer. A new family of potentials, that correspond to the linear gravitational potential with a small oscillatory component superimposed upon it, is produced. Both the frequency and amplitude of the oscillatory part can be controlled and the corresponding eigenfunctions are found. These solutions are explored and basic observables are calculated. In particular we examine how motion in such a potential can be distinguished from motion in a linear gravitational field. We also point out some pedagogical aspects of this project.
Abstract Here we report a project in which time-dependent supersymmetry has been employed to derive a new potential and eigenfunctions that satisfy the Schrödinger equation. The supersymmetry method is outlined and we apply it to a wavefunction obeying the free-particle Schrödinger equation. This leads to an exactly soluble model in which a quantum particle is seen to ‘surf’ on a time-dependent potential. The model can be solved and understood within both classical and quantum mechanics and the relationship between the two approaches is discussed. The mathematics of this formalism is accessible to a final year British undergraduate making supersymmetry derived Hamiltonians suitable as a final year theoretical physics research project.
The harmonic oscillator is a quantum mechanical system that represents one of the most basic potentials. In order to understand the behavior of a particle within this system, the time-independent Schrödinger equation was solved; in other words, its eigenfunctions and eigenvalues were found. The first goal of this study was to construct a family of single parameter potentials and corresponding eigenfunctions with a spectrum similar to that of the harmonic oscillator. This task was achieved by means of supersymmetric quantum mechanics, which utilizes an intertwining operator that relates a known Hamiltonian with another whose potential is to be built. Secondly, a generalization of the technique was used to work with the time-dependent Schrödinger equation to construct new potentials and corresponding solutions.
The "quantum bouncer" problem of a quantum particle in a gravitational field, bouncing elastically from a horizontal surface, is mapped via the Madelung transformation into the dynamics of a 1D, compressible, inviscid fluid. Under this transformation the energy states of the quantum bouncer, given in terms of the Airy function, are hydrostatic equilibria states where gravity is balanced by the corresponding vertical pressure gradient force exerted by the fluid. The stability of the hydrostatic states, with respect to small perturbations, is expressed in terms of the positive definite pseudoenergy integral derived here. Pseudoenergy, which is a constant of motion of the linearized perturbation dynamics, is in this case the sum of the perturbation kinetic and available potential energies. The latter is found to be proportional to the square of the vertical derivative of the buoyancy perturbation rather than the square of the buoyancy itself, as is generally the case in classical fluids. For sinusoidal perturbations with vertical wavenumber k , the effective frequency of the buoyancy oscillation is found to be , which is twice the ratio between the gravitational force and the momentum of a free quantum particle.
The usual 'quantum bouncer' is a quantum particle bouncing elastically under the influence of gravity. Here we consider a particle bouncing off an impenetrable wall, and bound to it by the harmonic potential instead of by the gravitational potential mgx . An analytic solution is possible, easily accessible to classes in intermediate quantum mechanics. The solution is related to Schrödinger's oscillating wavepacket (the original coherent state ). Although periodic, it changes its form during the oscillation, in contrast to Schrödinger's packet. The uncertainties in the position (Δ x ) and the momentum (Δ p ) oscillate also, as does the product Δ x Δ p .
The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics in the semiclassical or WKB approximation provides a physically intuitive way of relating a classical system to its quantum analog. A fruitful way of studying quantum chaos is based upon applying the Gutzwiller periodic orbit sum rule, a result derived by the path integral method in the WKB approximation. This provides some motivation for learning about path integral techniques. In this paper a pedagogical example of the path integral formalism is presented in the hope of conveying the basic physical and mathematical concepts. The ‘‘quantum bouncer’’ is studied—the quantum version of a particle moving in one dimension above a perfectly reflecting surface while subject to a constant force directed toward the surface. The classical counterpart of this system is a ball bouncing on a floor in a constant gravitational field, collisions with the floor being assumed to be elastic. Path integration is used to derive the energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the quantum bouncer in the WKB or semiclassical approximation. The results are shown to be the same as those obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation in the same approximation.