A lossless, exact compaction of the time-evolved state of the quantum dynamical system of a perturbed anharmonic molecule is demonstrated using dynamical symmetries. The density matrix of the anharmonic molecule is a linear combination of these symmetries, and it remains so as a time-dependent perturbation is applied. Accurate, unitary-but-approximate, and thereby irreversible compaction is further shown using fewer symmetries, and the fidelity of this lossy compaction is quantified. Perturbations are typically linear in the operators of a Lie algebra. For a Hamiltonian that is also linear, one knows well how to reversibly compact the state of a dynamical system. However, anharmonic vibrations have a finite number of unequally spaced energy levels, and a good description of their spectra typically requires an algebraic-type Hamiltonian that is bilinear in the operators of a Lie algebra. For a bilinear Hamiltonian we show how a matrix-based approach allows us to compact both the populations and the coherences, either exactly reversibly or inexactly irreversibly, with fewer symmetries. A forced Morse oscillator is used as an explicit analytical and numerical example covering the entire range of dynamics from the sudden to the adiabatic limits.
Hamilton et al. (Wed,) studied this question.