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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 100 » Issue 18
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 184102 (2008) [4 pages]

Semiclassical Propagation of Gaussian Wave Packets

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Raphael N. P. Maia, Fernando Nicacio, and Raúl O. Vallejos
Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF), Rua Dr. Xavier Sigaud 150, 22290-180 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fabricio Toscano
Fundação Centro de Ciências e Educação Superior a Distância do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 20943-001 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cx. P. 68528, 21941-972 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Received 16 July 2007; published 6 May 2008

We analyze the semiclassical evolution of Gaussian wave packets in chaotic systems. We show that after some short time a Gaussian wave packet becomes a primitive WKB state. From then on, the state can be propagated using the standard time-dependent WKB scheme. Complex trajectories are not necessary to account for the long-time propagation. The Wigner function of the evolving state develops the structure of a classical filament plus quantum oscillations, with phase and amplitude being determined by geometric properties of a classical manifold.

© 2008 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.184102
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.184102
PACS:
05.45.Mt, 03.65.Sq
 
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