Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Physics
Journal Title
Physical Review A
Pub Date
2-1988
Publisher
American Physical Society
Volume
37
Issue
4
First Page
1185
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.
Recommended Citation
Waterland, Robert Leonard; Du, M. L.; and Delos, John B., Semiclassical Interpretation of Eigenvectors for Excited Atoms in External Fields (1988). Physical Review A, 37(4), 1185-1207.
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.37.1185
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.37.1185
