Wave packet dynamics for a non-linear Schrodinger equation: Qualitative changes with changes in the initial width

Abstract

The propagation of an initially Gaussian wave packet of width $\Delta_0$ in a cubic non-linear Schrodinger equation with a negative coupling constant for the nonlinear term is considered . It is predicted analytically and verified numerically that for a free particle if $\Delta_0$ is less than a critical value $\Delta_c$, then the packet will propagate in time with linearly growing width but for $\Delta>\Delta_c$, the packet will start becoming narrow and cease to be a Gaussian . For a simple harmonic oscillator, we find that for $\Delta_0$ smaller than a critical value, there always exist a coupling strength for which the packet simply oscillates about the mean position without changing its shape.