The split-operator technique for the study of spinorial wavepacket dynamics

TL;DR

This paper extends the split-operator technique to simulate the dynamics of spinorial wave packets in quantum systems, including semiconductor charge carriers with spin-orbit effects and Dirac particles in graphene.

Contribution

The paper introduces a modified split-operator method capable of handling spinor wave functions for both Schrödinger and Dirac particles, enabling advanced quantum transport simulations.

Findings

Effective simulation of spinor wave packet dynamics in semiconductor nanostructures.

Application of the method to Dirac particles in graphene.

Demonstration of the technique's versatility for different quantum systems.

Abstract

The split-operator technique for wave packet propagation in quantum systems is expanded here to the case of propagating wave functions describing Schr\"odinger particles, namely, charge carriers in semiconductor nanostructures within the effective mass approximation, in the presence of Zeeman effect, as well as of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions. We also demonstrate that simple modifications to the expanded technique allow us to calculate the time evolution of wave packets describing Dirac particles, which are relevant for the study of transport properties in graphene.