Integral expressions for the semiclassical time-dependent propagator

Kenneth G. Kay

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

394 Scopus citations

Abstract

Rather general expressions are derived which represent the semiclassical time-dependent propagator as an integral over initial conditions for classical trajectories. These allow one to propagate time-dependent wave functions without searching for special trajectories that satisfy two-time boundary conditions. In many circumstances, the integral expressions are free of singularities and provide globally valid uniform asymptotic approximations. In special cases, the expressions for the propagators are related to existing semiclassical wave function propagation techniques. More generally, the present expressions suggest a large class of other, potentially useful methods. The behavior of the integral expressions in certain limiting cases is analyzed to obtain simple formulas for the Maslov index that may be used to compute the Van Vleck propagator in a variety of representations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4377-4392
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Chemical Physics
Volume100
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1994

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Integral expressions for the semiclassical time-dependent propagator'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this