A generalized intermediate picture of quantal time evolution using operator algebraic methods. Application to translational–vibrational energy transfer in molecular collisions

Abstract

A method for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in an intermediate picture defined by an effective time-dependent Hamiltonian is discussed. The state function in this intermediate picture is written as a linear combination of time-independent basis functions with time-dependent coefficients. It is shown how to use Lie algebraic methods to build the interaction potential in the intermediate picture and calculate physical observables. The construction of the interaction potential is explicitly discussed in the case of one degree of freedom with a classical coordinate analog. The effective Hamiltonian is obtained by expanding the potential energy function around a reference value of the coordinate. Effective Hamiltonians for He–H2 collisions obtained for equilibrium and average reference values of the vibrational coordinate of H2 are compared and the expansion convergence in the resulting intermediate pictures are discussed.