Modelling of geometric phase shifts in quantum mechanics

Ylva Rydin
Division of Scientific Computing
Department of Information Technology
Uppsala University
Uppsala


Abstract:

When a quantum mechanical system gradually changes over the coarse of a cycle the wave function of the system may be subjected to a phase shift, called a Berry phase. In simple systems it is possible to analytically predict Berry phases. For example, in triangular two-dimensional quantum billiards described by the Schrödinger equation, Berry phases have been found and experimentally verified. By numerically simulating quantum billiards with moving boundaries we hope to find Berry phases in more complex systems, described by the non-linear Schrödinger equation. In this talk I will discuss how to numerically produce experimentally verified Berry phases by solving the Schrödinger equation on a moving domain, using high order finite difference methods.