How do wave packets spread? Time evolution on Ehrenfest time scales

DOI10.1088/1751-8113/45/21/215307zbMATH Open1301.81070arXiv1112.4056OpenAlexW3104537758MaRDI QIDQ2893140FDOQ2893140

Authors: Roman Schubert, Raúl O Vallejos, Fabricio Toscano 

Publication date: 26 June 2012

Published in: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We derive an extension of the standard time dependent WKB theory which can be applied to propagate coherent states and other strongly localised states for long times. It allows in particular to give a uniform description of the transformation from a localised coherent state to a delocalised Lagrangian state which takes place at the Ehrenfest time. The main new ingredient is a metaplectic operator which is used to modify the initial state in a way that standard time dependent WKB can then be applied for the propagation. We give a detailed analysis of the phase space geometry underlying this construction and use this to determine the range of validity of the new method. Several examples are used to illustrate and test the scheme and two applications are discussed: (i) For scattering of a wave packet on a barrier near the critical energy we can derive uniform approximations for the transition from reflection to transmission. (ii) A wave packet propagated along a hyperbolic trajectory becomes a Lagrangian state associated with the unstable manifold at the Ehrenfest time, this is illustrated with the kicked harmonic oscillator.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1112.4056

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Semiclassical techniques, including WKB and Maslov methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81Q20) Coherent states (81R30) Phase-space methods including Wigner distributions, etc. applied to problems in quantum mechanics (81S30) Quantum chaos (81Q50) Differential geometric methods, including holonomy, Berry and Hannay phases, Aharonov-Bohm effect, etc. in quantum theory (81Q70)

Cited In (23)

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• Non-Hermitian propagation of Hagedorn wavepackets
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• On the Bose-Maslov statistics in the case of infinitely many degrees of freedom
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• Symplectic coarse-grained classical and semclassical evolution of subsystems: new theoretical approach
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• TWA versus semiclassical unitary approximation for spin-like systems
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• Interscale entanglement production in a quantum system simulating classical chaos
• Classical correspondence beyond the Ehrenfest time for open quantum systems with general Lindbladians
• A unified time scale for quantum chaotic regimes
• Wavepackets in inhomogeneous periodic media: propagation through a one-dimensional band crossing
• Asymptotic approximations for the phase space Schrödinger equation
• Lindblad dynamics of Gaussian states and their superpositions in the semiclassical limit

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