Nuclear interference by electronic de-orthogonalisation
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866910039303782400 |
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| author | Tu, Matisse Wei-Yuan Rubio, Angel Gross, E. K. U. |
| author_facet | Tu, Matisse Wei-Yuan Rubio, Angel Gross, E. K. U. |
| contents | Interference is a universal consequence of superposition, yet in composite quantum systems it can encode correlations between subsystems. We show that in coupled electron-nuclear dynamics, interference in the nuclear density can arise dynamically even when it is initially absent. Starting from a superposition of orthogonal Born-Oppenheimer electronic states, we demonstrate within the exact factorisation framework that genuine non-adiabatic electron-nuclear correlations induce de-orthogonalisation of the electronic factors, thereby generating interference terms in the nuclear density. Such interference has no counterpart in adiabatic evolution. Unlike conventional nuclear wave-packet interference or interference that merely reflects electronic coherence in a chosen basis, the effect identified here is a manifestation of the compositeness of the full electron-nuclear state. Nuclear density interference thus emerges as a direct dynamical signature of correlated quantum motion in composite systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_02966 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Nuclear interference by electronic de-orthogonalisation Tu, Matisse Wei-Yuan Rubio, Angel Gross, E. K. U. Quantum Physics Chemical Physics Interference is a universal consequence of superposition, yet in composite quantum systems it can encode correlations between subsystems. We show that in coupled electron-nuclear dynamics, interference in the nuclear density can arise dynamically even when it is initially absent. Starting from a superposition of orthogonal Born-Oppenheimer electronic states, we demonstrate within the exact factorisation framework that genuine non-adiabatic electron-nuclear correlations induce de-orthogonalisation of the electronic factors, thereby generating interference terms in the nuclear density. Such interference has no counterpart in adiabatic evolution. Unlike conventional nuclear wave-packet interference or interference that merely reflects electronic coherence in a chosen basis, the effect identified here is a manifestation of the compositeness of the full electron-nuclear state. Nuclear density interference thus emerges as a direct dynamical signature of correlated quantum motion in composite systems. |
| title | Nuclear interference by electronic de-orthogonalisation |
| topic | Quantum Physics Chemical Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.02966 |