Comments on the adiabatic theorem

TL;DR

This paper analyzes quantum oscillator systems with varying frequency, demonstrating that adiabatic changes do not cause secular growth in loop corrections, while non-adiabatic variations lead to IR corrections indicating energy transfer.

Contribution

It provides a detailed calculation of loop corrections in nonstationary quantum systems, highlighting the difference between adiabatic and non-adiabatic frequency variations.

Findings

No secular growth in loop corrections for constant and adiabatic frequencies

Strong IR corrections and indefinite growth in non-adiabatic cases

Energy pumping into the system evidenced by changes in level populations

Abstract

We consider the simplest example of a nonstationary quantum system which is quantum mechanical oscillator with varying frequency and $\lambda \phi^4$ self-interaction. We calculate loop corrections to the Keldysh, retarded/advanced propagators and vertices using Schwinger--Keldysh diagrammatic technique and show that there is no physical secular growth of the loop corrections in the cases of constant and adiabatically varying frequency. This fact corresponds to the well-known adiabatic theorem in quantum mechanics. However, in the case of non-adiabatically varying frequency we obtain strong IR corrections to the Keldysh propagator which come from the `sunset' diagrams, grow with time indefinetely and indicate energy pumping into the system. It reveals itself via the change in time of the level population and of the anomalous quantum average.