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arXiv:quant-ph/0106138 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General

Quantum parametric resonance

Stefan Weigert

Published Apr 26, 2002• 17 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The quantum mechanical equivalent of parametric resonance is studied. A simple model of a periodically kicked harmonic oscillator is introduced which can be solved exactly. Classically stable and unstable regions in parameter space are shown to correspond to Floquet operators with qualitatively different properties. Their eigenfunctions, which are calculated exactly, exhibit a transition: for parameter values with classically stable solutions the eigenstates are normalizable while they cannot be normalized for parameter values with classically instable solutions. Similarly, the spectrum of quasi energies undergoes a specific transition. These observations remain valid qualitatively for arbitrary linear systems exhibiting classically parametric resonance such as the paradigm example of a frequency modulated pendulum described by Mathieu's equation.

DOI
10.1088/0305-4470/35/18/312

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The quantum mechanical equivalent of parametric resonance is studied. A simple model of a periodically kicked harmonic oscillator is introduced which can be solved exactly. Classically stable and unstable regions in parameter space are shown to correspond to Floquet operators with qualitatively different properties. Their eigenfunctions, which are calculated exactly, exhibit a transition: for parameter values with classically stable solutions the eigenstates are normalizable while they cannot be normalized for parameter values with classically instable solutions. Similarly, the spectrum of quasi energies undergoes a specific transition. These observations remain valid qualitatively for arbitrary linear systems exhibiting classically parametric resonance such as the paradigm example of a frequency modulated pendulum described by Mathieu's equation.
The quantum mechanical equivalent of parametric resonance is studied. A simple model of a periodically kicked harmonic oscillator is introduced which can be solved exactly. Classically stable and unstable regions in parameter space are shown to correspond to Floquet operators with qualitatively different properties. Their eigenfunctions, which are calculated exactly, exhibit a transition: for parameter values with classically stable solutions the eigenstates are normalizable while they cannot be normalized for parameter values with classically unstable solutions. Similarly, the spectrum of quasi energies undergoes a specific transition. These observations remain valid qualitatively for arbitrary linear systems exhibiting classically parametric resonance such as the paradigm example of a frequency modulated pendulum described by Mathieu's equation.
The quantum version of parametric resonance of the harmonic oscillator is studied in terms of Feynman's propagator method and a discrete map. The eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the Floquet operator are derived explicitly. The solutions follow the general laws: In the regions of parametric resonance the spectrum of the Floquet operator becomes continuous, while it is pointlike in the stable regimes. The Gaussian wave packet undergoes spreading exponentially and linearly in the two regimes, respectively.
A parametrically driven classical harmonic oscillator exhibits resonant instability when driven at twice its natural frequency, with the lowest energy configuration remaining unaffected by the drive. In contrast, the ground state of the quantum mechanical counterpart shows a non-trivial response to such a drive due to the spatial delocalization of the wavefunction. The standard realization of PR involves modulating the natural frequency of the oscillator. Here we study a different drive protocol in which the coupling between two such quantum harmonic oscillators is modulated parametrically. We show that the drive frequency can in principle be tuned to selectively excite any desired normal mode, while leaving the other close to its ground state. Only states with even quantum numbers in each normal mode are populated. Within the parametric resonance window the excitations follow a power-law decay with respect to occupation number, in contrast to the exponential decay observed off-resonance. We also briefly discuss how this framework can be extended to a system of N coupled oscillators
We theoretically investigate the stability and linear oscillatory behavior of a naturally unstable particle whose potential energy is harmonically modulated. We find this fundamental dynamical system is analogous in time to a quantum harmonic oscillator. In a certain modulation limit, a.k.a. the Kapitza regime, the modulated oscillator can behave like an effective classic harmonic oscillator. But in the overlooked opposite limit, the stable modes of vibrations are quantized in the modulation parameter space. By analogy with the statistical interpretation of quantum physics, those modes can be characterized by the time-energy uncertainty relation of a quantum harmonic oscillator. Reducing the almost-periodic vibrational modes of the particle to their periodic eigenfunctions, one can transform the original equation of motion to a dimensionless Schrodinger stationary wave equation with a harmonic potential. This reduction process introduces two features reminiscent of the quantum realm: a wave-particle duality and a loss of causality that could legitimate a statistical interpretation of the computed eigenfunctions. These results shed new light on periodically time-varying linear dynamical systems and open an original path in the recently revived field of quantum mechanical analogs.
Taking the classical pendulum as its starting point, this paper unearths the profound physics hidden within this familiar model and constructs an investigative path that links macroscopic classical mechanics to microscopic quantum mechanics. Using MATLAB, we first perform numerical simulations and visual analyses of the dynamical behavior of ideal, large-angle, damped, and externally driven pendulums. By next studying a pendulum whose pivot is subjected to periodic vertical vibration, we introduce and elucidate the classical phenomenon of parametric resonance. Building on this bridge, we extend the model into the quantum realm and demonstrate that, in the one-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillator, periodic modulation of a system parameter (e.g., the mass) can excite particles from the quantum vacuum—an effect known as “quantum vacuum amplification.” Simulations of particle-number evolution and Wigner functions carried out with Python corroborate the theoretical predictions. This study provides an intuitive yet inspiring case for undergraduate and graduate physics education.
We consider the dynamics of an XY spin chain subjected to an external transverse field which is periodically quenched between two values. By deriving an exact expression of the Floquet Hamiltonian for this out-of-equilibrium protocol with arbitrary driving frequencies, we show how, after an unfolding of the Floquet spectrum, the parameter space of the system is characterized by alternations between local and non-local regions, corresponding respectively to the absence and presence of Floquet resonances. The boundary lines between regions are obtained analytically from avoided crossings in the Floquet quasi-energies and are observable as phase transitions in the synchronized state. The transient behaviour of dynamical averages of local observables similarly undergoes a transition, showing either a rapid convergence towards the synchronized state in the local regime, or a rather slow one exhibiting persistent oscillations in the non-local regime, where explicit decay coefficients are presented.