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Article
Semiclassical Interpretation of Eigenvectors for Excited Atoms in External Fields
Physical Review A
  • Robert Leonard Waterland, William & Mary
  • M. L. Du
  • John B Delos, William & Mary
Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Physics
Pub Date
2-1-1988
Publisher
American Physical Society
Abstract

Eigenvectors for an electron in an atom in parallel electric and magnetic fields are calculated, and a semiclassical interpretation of their behavior is obtained. Eigenvectors can in this case be regarded as ‘‘wave functions in angular momentum space.’’ The matrix equation defining the eigenvectors is written as a difference equation, and then converted to a pseudodifferential equation; a systematic procedure is then used to construct a semiclassical approximation. It is found that the same classical Hamiltonian that has been previously used to calculate semiclassical eigenvalues provides a WKB-type representation of the eigenvectors. The development sheds new light on action-angle formulations of quantum mechanics and on semiclassical approximations in action-angle variables.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.37.1185
Disciplines
Citation Information
Robert Leonard Waterland, M. L. Du and John B Delos. "Semiclassical Interpretation of Eigenvectors for Excited Atoms in External Fields" Physical Review A Vol. 37 Iss. 4 (1988) p. 1185 - 1207
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john-delos/96/