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A time dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation

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Abstract

We consider the dynamics of a quantum mechanical system which consists of some particles with large masses and some particles with small masses. As we increase the large masses to infinity we obtain the following results: The particles of smaller mass move adiabatically and determine an effective potential in which the heavier particles move semiclassically. Our methods can be applied to diatomic molecules with Coulomb forces.

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Communicated by B. Simon

Supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant PHY 78-08066

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Hagedorn, G.A. A time dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Commun.Math. Phys. 77, 1–19 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205036

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205036

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