On the Exponential Form of Time-Displacement Operators in Quantum Mechanics

We derive and discuss a formula, due to Magnus, for the exponential representation of the operator solution to Schrödinger's equation when the Hamiltonian is time dependent. The formula gives a unitary time-displacement operator in every order of approximation. We study the usefulness of the first- and second-order approximations for the kind of problem posed by the semiclassical theory of inelastic collisions, basing our discussion on two exactly soluble two-state problems. The algebraic structure of the Magnus formula is in itself useful; to illustrate this, we solve exactly the problems of the linearly forced harmonic oscillator and the harmonic oscillator with time-dependent force constant.