Exponential Perturbative Expansions and Coordinate Transformations

We propose a unified approach for different exponential perturbation techniques used in the treatment of time-dependent quantum mechanical problems, namely the Magnus expansion, the Floquet–Magnus expansion for periodic systems, the quantum averaging technique, and the Lie–Deprit perturbative algori...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ana Arnal, Fernando Casas, Cristina Chiralt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Series:Mathematical and Computational Applications
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8747/25/3/50
Description
Summary:We propose a unified approach for different exponential perturbation techniques used in the treatment of time-dependent quantum mechanical problems, namely the Magnus expansion, the Floquet–Magnus expansion for periodic systems, the quantum averaging technique, and the Lie–Deprit perturbative algorithms. Even the standard perturbation theory fits in this framework. The approach is based on carrying out an appropriate change of coordinates (or picture) in each case, and it can be formulated for any time-dependent linear system of ordinary differential equations. All of the procedures (except the standard perturbation theory) lead to approximate solutions preserving by construction unitarity when applied to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation.
ISSN:1300-686X
2297-8747