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Exponential Operators and Parameter Differentiation in Quantum Physics

Ralph M. Wilcox

Journal of Mathematical Physics, 1967

1,213 citations

Abstract

Elementary parameter-differentiation techniques are developed to systematically derive a wide variety of operator identities, expansions, and solutions to differential equations of interest to quantum physics. The treatment is largely centered around a general closed formula for the derivative of an exponential operator with respect to a parameter. Derivations are given of the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula and its dual, the Zassenhaus formula. The continuous analogs of these formulas which solve the differential equation dY(t)/dt = A(t) Y(t), the solutions of Magnus and Fer, respectively, are similarly derived in a recursive manner which manifestly displays the general repeated-commutator nature of these expansions and which is quite suitable for computer programming. An expansion recently obtained by Kumar and another new expansion are shown to be derivable from the Fer and Magnus solutions, respectively, in the same way. Useful similarity transformations involving linear combinations of elements of a Lie algebra are obtained. Some cases where the product eAeB can be written as a closed-form single exponential are considered which generalize results of Sack and of Weiss and Maradudin. Closed-form single-exponential solutions to the differential equation dY(t)/dt = A(t) Y(t) are obtained for two cases and compared with the corresponding multiple-exponential solutions of Wei and Norman. Normal ordering of operators is also treated and derivations, corollaries, or…

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