The Moving Born-Oppenheimer Approximation

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Barrera, Bernardo, Arovas, Daniel P., Chandran, Anushya, Polkovnikov, Anatoli
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Barrera, Bernardo
Arovas, Daniel P.
Chandran, Anushya
Polkovnikov, Anatoli
author_facet Barrera, Bernardo
Arovas, Daniel P.
Chandran, Anushya
Polkovnikov, Anatoli
contents We develop a mixed quantum-classical framework, dubbed the Moving Born-Oppenheimer Approximation (MBOA), to describe the dynamics of slow degrees of freedom (DOFs) coupled to fast ones. As in the Born-Oppenheimer Approximation (BOA), the fast degrees of freedom adiabatically follow a state that depends on the slow ones. Unlike the BOA, this state depends on both the positions and the momenta of the slow DOFs. We study several model systems: a spin-1/2 particle and a spinful molecule moving in a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic field, and a gas of fast particles coupled to a piston. The MBOA reveals rich dynamics for the slow degree of freedom, including reflection, dynamical trapping, and mass renormalization. It also significantly modifies the state of the fast DOFs. For example, the spins in the molecule are entangled and squeezed, while the gas of fast particles develops gradients that are synchronized with the motion of the piston for a long time. The MBOA can be used to describe both classical and quantum systems and has potential applications in quantum chemistry, correlated materials, atomic physics, molecular dynamics, and quantum sensing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_17557
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Moving Born-Oppenheimer Approximation
Barrera, Bernardo
Arovas, Daniel P.
Chandran, Anushya
Polkovnikov, Anatoli
Quantum Physics
Quantum Gases
Statistical Mechanics
Chemical Physics
We develop a mixed quantum-classical framework, dubbed the Moving Born-Oppenheimer Approximation (MBOA), to describe the dynamics of slow degrees of freedom (DOFs) coupled to fast ones. As in the Born-Oppenheimer Approximation (BOA), the fast degrees of freedom adiabatically follow a state that depends on the slow ones. Unlike the BOA, this state depends on both the positions and the momenta of the slow DOFs. We study several model systems: a spin-1/2 particle and a spinful molecule moving in a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic field, and a gas of fast particles coupled to a piston. The MBOA reveals rich dynamics for the slow degree of freedom, including reflection, dynamical trapping, and mass renormalization. It also significantly modifies the state of the fast DOFs. For example, the spins in the molecule are entangled and squeezed, while the gas of fast particles develops gradients that are synchronized with the motion of the piston for a long time. The MBOA can be used to describe both classical and quantum systems and has potential applications in quantum chemistry, correlated materials, atomic physics, molecular dynamics, and quantum sensing.
title The Moving Born-Oppenheimer Approximation
topic Quantum Physics
Quantum Gases
Statistical Mechanics
Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17557