Wignerian symplectic covariance approach to the interaction-time problem

The concept of the symplectic covariance property of the Wigner distribution function and the symplectic invariance of the Wigner-Rényi entropies has been leveraged to estimate the interaction time of the moving quantum state in the presence of an absolutely integrable time-dependent potential. For this study, the considered scattering centre is represented initially by the Gaussian barrier. Two modifications of this potential energy are considered: a sudden change from barrier to barrier and from barrier to well. The scattering state is prepared in the form of a Schrödinger cat, and the Moyal equation governs its further time evolution. The whole analysis of the considered scattering problem is conducted in the above-barrier regime using the phase-space representation of quantum theory. The presented concept shifts the focus from the dynamics of the quantum state to a symplectically invariant state functions in the form of the Wigner-Rényi entropies of order one and one-half. These quantities serve as indicators of the beginning and end of the interaction of the non-Gaussian state with the sufficiently fast decaying potential representing the scattering centre. The presented approach is significant because it provides a new way to estimate the interaction time of moving quantum states with the dynamical scattering centre. Moreover, it allows for studying scattering processes in various physical systems, including atoms, molecules, and condensed matter systems.