Jaynes-Cummings model as a case study for the derivation of time-dependent Schrödinger equation

Abstract

The derivation of a time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) from a time-independent Schrödinger equation (TISE) in the coherent state representation is considered for the special case of a simple coupled atom-field system described by the soluble Jaynes-Cummings model. The derivation shows why, from the outset, a linear combination of energy eigenstates, instead of a single state, must be used in order to obtain a TDSE for general states. Moreover, this study leads to a method of solving a TDSE by simply solving a TISE. © 2008 World Scientific Publishing Company.