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Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society

Transition Probabilities at Crossing in the Landau-Zener Problem

Tae Jun Park

Published Nov 20, 2005• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We obtain probabilities at a crossing of two linearly time-dependent potentials that are constantly coupled to the other by solving a time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We find that the system which was initially localized at one state evolves to split into both states at the crossing. The probability splitting depends on the coupling strength $V_0$ such that the system stays at the initial state in its entirety when $V_0$ = 0 while it is divided equally in both states when $V_0 \rightarrow {\infty}$ . For a finite coupling the probability branching at the crossing is not even and thus a complete probability transfer at $t \rightarrow {\infty}$ is not achieved in the linear potential crossing problem. The Landau-Zener formula for transition probability at $t \rightarrow {\infty}$ is expressed in terms of the probabilities at the crossing.

DOI
10.5012/bkcs.2005.26.11.1735

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We obtain probabilities at a crossing of two linearly time-dependent potentials that are constantly coupled to the other by solving a time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We find that the system which was initially localized at one state evolves to split into both states at the crossing. The probability splitting depends on the coupling strength V0V_0V0​ such that the system stays at the initial state in its entirety when V0V_0V0​ = 0 while it is divided equally in both states when V0→∞V_0 \rightarrow {\infty}V0​→∞ . For a finite coupling the probability branching at the crossing is not even and thus a complete probability transfer at t→∞t \rightarrow {\infty}t→∞ is not achieved in the linear potential crossing problem. The Landau-Zener formula for transition probability at t→∞t \rightarrow {\infty}t→∞ is expressed in terms of the probabilities at the crossing.
Two aspects of the classic two-level Landau-Zener (LZ) problem are considered. First, we address the LZ problem when one or both levels decay, i.e., ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{j}(t)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{j}(t)\ensuremath{-}i{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{j}/2$. We find that if the system evolves from an initial time $\ensuremath{-}T$ to a final time +T+T+T such that $|{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{1}(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}T)\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{2}(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}T)|$ is not too large, the LZ survival probability of a state $|j\ensuremath{\rangle}$ can increase with increasing decay rate of the other state $|i\ensuremath{\ne}j\ensuremath{\rangle}$. This surprising result occurs because the decay results in crossing of the two eigenvalues of the instantaneous non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. On the other hand, if $|{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{1}(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}T)\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{2}(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}T)|\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$, the probability is independent of the decay rate. These results are based on analytic solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equations for two cases: (a) the energy levels depend linearly on time, and (b) the energy levels are bounded and of the form ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{1,2}(t)=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\varepsilon}tanh(t/\mathcal{T})$. Second, we study LZ transitions affected by dephasing by formulating the Landau-Zener problem with noise in terms of a Schr\"odinger-Langevin stochastic coupled set of differential equations. The LZ survival probability then becomes a random variable whose probability distribution is shown to behave very differently for long and short dephasing times. We also discuss the combined effects of decay and dephasing on the LZ probability.
Considering a temperature dependent two-level quantum system, we have numerically solved the Landau-Zener transition problem.The method includes the incorporation of temperature effect as a thermal noise added Schrödinger equation for the construction of the Hamiltonian.Here, the obtained results which describe the changes in the system including the quantum states and the transition probabilities are investigated and discussed.The results successfully describe the behavior of the transition probabilities by sweeping the temperature.
We present an asymptotic approach towards the standard Landau-Zener problem based on two linearly independent elementary waves of constant amplitude but time-dependent phase. The two contributions to this phase are quadratic and logarithmic in time and result from the linear chirp of the energies and the lowest order correction in the coupling between the two levels in the long-time limit. Indeed, our solutions subjected to initial conditions at a large but finite time in the past, are valid for large negative and large positive times. Due to their asymptotic nature they are not valid in the neighborhood of the moment when the levels cross. However, as the starting point of the dynamics moves further into the past, the time interval of the break-down of our asymptotic solutions shrinks and vanishes in the limit of the infinite past which corresponds to the standard Landau-Zener situation. Our approach explains not only every feature of the exact solution but yields deeper insights into the origin of the effects. In particular, it (i) brings to light the subtleties involved in the asymptotic limit leading to the standard expressions for the Landau-Zener transition amplitudes, (ii) identifies the logarithmic phase as the origin of the exponential transition probability amplitude, and (iii) reveals the structure of the lowest order corrections to the Landau-Zener result when the starting point is not in the infinite past.
During the adiabatic time evolution levels crossing violates the adiabaticity and makes transitions between levels possible. Conventionally only two energy levels cross simultaneously. The transition probabilities for this case were found by Landau and Zener. However, the multilevel crossing happens systematically rather than occasionally if the Hamiltonian possesses a special symmetry. The simplest physical realization of the multilevel crossing are the Zeeman multiplet in a varying magnetic field and an electron in one-dimensional chain driven by the time-dependent electric field. We present asymptotics of the transition amplitudes for these kinds of the multilevel crossing. They are based on an exact solution for a model n-state, time-dependent Schrödinger equation.
Abstract Three analytic solutions to the Schrödinger equation for the time-dependent Landau–Zener (LZ) Hamiltonian are presented. They correspond to specific finite-time driving paths in a bounded parameter space of a two-level system. Two of these paths go through the avoided crossing of levels, either with a constant speed or with variable speed that decreases in the region of reduced energy gap, the third path bypasses the crossing such that the energy gap remains constant. The solutions yield exact time dependencies of the excitation probability for the system evolving from the ground state of the initial Hamiltonian. The LZ formula emerges as an approximation valid within a certain interval of driving times for the constant-speed driving through the avoided crossing. For long driving times, all solutions converge to the prediction of the adiabatic perturbation theory. The excitation probability vanishes at some discrete time instants.