This chapter reviews several quantities that have been proposed in scattering theory to characterize the temporal aspects of one dimensional collisions: the dwell time, the delay time, the decay time, and times characterizing transient effects or the attainment of stationary conditions. Some aspects of tunnelling times are also discussed.
A complete one-dimensional scattering of a spinless particle on a time-independent potential barrier is considered. To describe separately transmitted and reflected particles in the corresponding subsets of identical experiments, we introduce the notions of scattering channels for transmission and reflection. We find for both channels the (unitary) scattering matrices and reconstruct, by known out asymptotes (i.e., by the transmitted and reflected wave packets), the corresponding in asymptotes. Unlike the out asymptotes for transmission and reflection, their in asymptotes represent nonorthogon…
We present a new model of scattering a quantum particle on the potential step, which reconstructs the prehistory of the subensembles of transmitted and reflected particles by their final states. Unlike the conventional one this model predicts the existence of a transitional spatial region behind the potential step where the probability to find reflected particles is nonzero and the average velocity of transmitted particles monotonously varies between asymptotic values. For both subprocesses we define the dwell and asymptotic group times.
It is shown that the Hurwitz transformation connects the eight-dimensional repulsive oscillator problem with the five-dimensional Coulomb problem for continuous spectrum. The hyperspherical and parabolic bases for this system are calculated. The quantum mechanical scattering problem of charged particles in the 5-dimensional Coulomb field is solved.
Quantum scattering by a one-dimensional odd potential proportional to the square of the distance to the origin is considered. The Schrödinger equation is solved exactly and explicit algebraic expressions of the wavefunction are given. A complete discussion of the scattering function reveals the existence of Gamow (decaying) states and of resonances.
We propose a numerical technique for modeling the quantum multimode light scattering by a perfectly conducting body. Using the novel quantization technique, we give the quantum adaptation of the characteristic mode approach widely used in the classical electrodynamics. The method is universal with respect to the body's configuration, as well as its dimensions relative to the wavelength. Using this method and calculating the first- and the second-order field correlation functions, we demonstrate how scattering affects quantum-statistical features of the field. As an example, we consider scatter…
Employing tight-binding approximation we derive a transfer matrix formalism for one-dimensional single photon transport through a composite scattering center, which consists of parallel connected resonator optical waveguides. By solving the single-mode eigenvectors of the Hamiltonian, we investigate the quantum interference effects of parallel couplings on the photon transport through this parallel waveguide structure. We find a perfect reflection regime determined by the number of coupled resonator waveguides. Numerical analysis reveals that by changing atom transition frequency, the window o…
In quantum mechanics, systems can be described in phase space in terms of the Wigner function and the star-product operation. Quantum characteristics, which appear in the Heisenberg picture as the Weyl's symbols of operators of canonical coordinates and momenta, can be used to solve the evolution equations for symbols of other operators acting in the Hilbert space. To any fixed order in the Planck's constant, many-body potential scattering problem simplifies to a statistical-mechanical problem of computing an ensemble of quantum characteristics and their derivatives with respect to the initial…
A quantum scattering theory is developed for Fock states scattered by two-level systems in the free space. Compared to existing scattering theories that treat incident light semi-classically, the theory fully quantizes the incident light as Fock states. This non-perturbative method provides exact scattering matrix.
Taking advantage of the known analytic expression of the eigenfunctions and eigenenergies of the Morse Hamiltonian, explicit expressions are found for the scattering length $a$ and the effective range $r_e$ which determine the s-wave scattering of ultracold atoms. The effects on $a$ and $r_e$ of considering the radial coordinate in the interval $[0,\infty)$ or in the extended region $(-\infty, \infty)$ are studied in detail.
A measure of the degree of polarization for the three-dimensional polarization matrix (coherence matrix) of an electromagnetic field is proposed, based on Rayleigh scattering. The degree of polarization, due to dipole scattering of the three-dimensional state of polarization, is averaged over all scattering directions. This gives a well-defined purity measure, which, unlike other proposed measures of the three-dimensional degree of polarization, is not a unitary invariant of the matrix. This is demonstrated and discussed for several examples, including a partially polarized transverse beam.
We consider scattering of a three-dimensional particle on a finite family of delta potentials. For some parameter values the scattering wavenctions exhibit nodal lines in the form of closed loops, which may touch but do not entangle. The corresponding probability current forms vortical singularities around these lines; if the scattered particle is charged, this gives rise to magnetic flux loops. The conclusions extend to scattering on hard obstacles or smooth potentials.
The quantum theory of the cold atom scattering by cavity fields in a two-dimensional geometry is presented. A distinct regime from the usual Raman-Nath, Bragg and Stern-Gerlach regimes is investigated, considering the situation where the cavity light field acts as a repulsive and an attractive two-dimensional potential. General expressions for the scattering lengths (the two-dimensional analogues to the three-dimensional scattering cross-sections) of finding the atoms deexcited or not after their interaction with the cavity are derived. The connection with the classical Rabi limit when the inc…
We experimentally demonstrate coherent light scattering from an atomic Mott insulator in a two-dimensional lattice. The far-field diffraction pattern of small clouds of a few hundred atoms was imaged while simultaneously laser cooling the atoms with the probe beams. We describe the position of the diffraction peaks and the scaling of the peak parameters by a simple analytic model. In contrast to Bragg scattering, scattering from a single plane yields diffraction peaks for any incidence angle. We demonstrate the feasibility of detecting spin correlations via light scattering by artificially cre…
We propose a framework for calculating scattering and bound state properties in anisotropic two-dimensional potentials. Using our method, we derive systematic approximations of partial wave phase shifts and binding energies. Moreover, the method is suitable for efficient numerical computations. We calculate the s-wave phase shift and binding energy of polar molecules in two layers polarized by an external field along an arbitrary direction. We find that scattering depends strongly on their polarization direction and that absolute interlayer binding energies are larger than thermal energies at …
We present a general formalism describing a propagation of an arbitrary multiparticle wave packet in a one-dimensional multimode chiral channel coupled to an ensemble of emitters which are distributed at arbitrary positions. The formalism is based on a direct and exact resummation of diagrammatic series for the multiparticle scattering matrix. It is complimentary to the Bethe Ansatz and to approaches based on equations of motion, and it reveals a simple and transparent structure of scattering states. In particular, we demonstrate how this formalism works on various examples, including scatteri…
The problem of scattering of neutral fermions in two-dimensional space-time is approached with a pseudoscalar potential step in the Dirac equation. Some unexpected aspects of the solutions beyond the absence of Klein\'{}s paradox are presented. An apparent paradox concerning the uncertainty principle is solved by introducing the concept of effective Compton wavelength. Added plausibility for the existence of bound-state solutions in a pseudoscalar double-step potential found in a recent Letter is given.
The one-dimensional scattering of a two body interacting system by an infinite wall is studied in a quantum-mechanical framework. This problem contains some of the dynamical features present in the collision of atomic, molecular and nuclear systems. The scattering problem is solved exactly, for the case of a harmonic interaction between the fragments. The exact result is used to assess the validity of two different approximations to the scattering process. The adiabatic approximation, which considers that the relative co-ordinate is frozen during the scattering process, is found to be inadequa…
We develop a dynamical formulation of one-dimensional scattering theory where the reflection and transmission amplitudes for a general, possibly complex and energy-dependent, scattering potential are given as solutions of a set of dynamical equations. By decoupling and partially integrating these equations, we reduce the scattering problem to a second order linear differential equation with universal initial conditions that is equivalent to an initial-value time-independent Schrodinger equation. We give explicit formulas for the reflection and transmission amplitudes in terms of the solution o…