Adiabatic theorems for quantum resonances (Q946508)

The paper under review studies the adiabatic time evolution of quantum resonances over time scales which are small compared with the lifetime of the resonances. Three examples are considered. The first example concerns the so-called shape resonances for the state of a quantum-mechanical particle in a potential well whose shape changes over time scales small compared with the time for the particle to need to escape from the well. The analysis is based on the time-energy uncertainty relation studied in [\textit{P. Pfeifer} and \textit{J. Fröhlich}, Rev. Mod. Phys. 67, 759--779 (1995)] and the usual adiabatic theorem in quantum mechanics. The second example concerns resonances that appear as isolated complex eigenvalues of spectrally deformed Hamiltonians, such as in the \(N\)-body Stark effect. The analysis is based on the Balslev--Combes theory of dilatation-analytic Hamiltonians and an adiabatic theorem for nonnormal generators of time evolution studied in [\textit{W. K. Abou Salem}, Ann. Henri Poincaré 8, No. 3, 569--596 (2007; Zbl 1115.82027)]. The third example concerns resonances emerging from eigenvalues of an unperturbed Hamiltonian embedded in the continuous spectrum under a perturbation, such as those arising when a small quantum-mechanical system is coupled to an infinitely extended, dispersive medium. The analysis is based on an extension of adiabatic theorems without a spectral gap condition as in [\textit{J. E. Avron} and \textit{A. Elgart}, Commun. Math. Phys. 203, No. 2, 445--463 (1999; Zbl 0936.47047)], [\textit{S. Teufel}, Lett. Math. Phys. 58, 261--266 (2002)], and [\textit{W. K. Abou-Salem} and \textit{J. Fröhlich}, Lett. Math. Phys. 72, No. 2, 153--163 (2005; Zbl 1115.82019)]. A brief comment from the last case is also made on resonance crossings.