Interplay of Quantum Mechanics and Nonlinearity: Understanding Small-System Dynamics of the Discrete Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

This book presents an in-depth study of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation (DNLSE), with particular emphasis on spatially small systems that permit analytic solutions. In many quantum systems of contemporary interest, the DNLSE arises as a result of approximate descriptions despite the fundamental linearity of quantum mechanics. Such scenarios, exemplified by polaron physics and Bose-Einstein condensation, provide application areas for the theoretical tools developed in this text. ...