Real-time propagator eigenstates

Obtaining a numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation requires an initial state for the time evolution. If the system Hamiltonian can be split into a time-independent part and a time-dependent perturbation, the initial state is typically chosen as an eigenstate of the former. For propagation using approximate methods such as operator splitting, we show that both imaginary-time evolution and diagonalization of the time-independent Hamiltonian produce states that are not exactly stationary in absence of the perturbation. In order to avoid artifacts from these non-stationary initial states, we propose an iterative method for calculating eigenstates of the real-time propagator. We compare the performance of different initial states by simulating ionization of a model atom in a short laser pulse and we demonstrate that much lower noise levels can be achieved with the real-time propagator eigenstates

Fourth order real space solver for the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation with singular Coulomb potential

We present a novel numerical method and algorithm for the solution of the 3D axially symmetric time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in cylindrical coordinates, involving singular Coulomb potential terms besides a smooth time-dependent potential. We use fourth order finite difference real space discretization, with special formulae for the arising Neumann and Robin boundary conditions along the symmetry axis. Our propagation algorithm is based on merging the method of the split-operator approximation of the exponential operator with the implicit equations of second order cylindrical 2D Crank-Nicolson scheme. We call this method hybrid splitting scheme because it inherits both the speed of the split step finite difference schemes and the robustness of the full Crank-Nicolson scheme. Based on a thorough error analysis, we verified both the fourth order accuracy of the spatial discretization in the optimal spatial step size range, and the fourth order scaling with the time step in the case of proper high order expressions of the split-operator. We demonstrate the performance and high accuracy of our hybrid splitting scheme by simulating optical tunneling from a hydrogen atom due to a few-cycle laser pulse with linear polarization

Lifshitz quasinormal modes and relaxation from holography

We obtain relaxation times for field theories with Lifshitz scaling and with holographic duals Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton gravity theories. This is done by computing quasinormal modes of a bulk scalar field in the presence of Lifshitz black branes. We determine the relation between relaxation time and dynamical exponent z, for various values of boundary dimension d and operator scaling dimension. It is found that for d>z+1, at zero momenta, the modes are non-overdamped, whereas for d<=z+1 the system is always overdamped. For d=z+1 and zero momenta, we present analytical results.Comment: 16 pages and 5 figure

From Classical to Wave-Mechanical Dynamics

The time-independent Schroedinger and Klein-Gordon equations - as well as any other Helmholtz-like equation - were recently shown to be associated with exact sets of ray-trajectories (coupled by a "Wave Potential" function encoded in their structure itself) describing any kind of wave-like features, such as diffraction and interference. This property suggests to view Wave Mechanics as a direct, causal and realistic, extension of Classical Mechanics, based on exact trajectories and motion laws of point-like particles "piloted" by de Broglie's matter waves and avoiding the probabilistic content and the wave-packets both of the standard Copenhagen interpretation and of Bohm's theory.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure. Substantial updates. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1310.807

Sub-barrier Coulomb effects on the interference pattern in tunneling ionization photoelectron spectra

We use a quantum trajectory-based semi-classical method to account for Coulomb interaction between the photoelectron and the parent ion in the classically forbidden, sub-barrier region during strong-field tunneling ionization processes. We show that---besides the well-known modification of the tunneling ionization probability---there is also an influence on the interference pattern in the photoelectron spectra. In the long-wavelength limit, the shift of the intra-cycle interference fringes caused by sub-barrier Coulomb effects in the laser polarization direction can be derived analytically. We compare our results with \emph{ab initio} solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation and find good agreement in the long-wavelength regime, whereas the standard strong field approximation fails. We show that the nodal structure along low-order above-threshold ionization rings is also affected by sub-barrier Coulomb effects.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, RevTe