Approach to the quantum evolution for underdamped, critically damped, and overdamped driven harmonic oscillators using unitary transformation

Exact solution of the Schrödinger equation is derived for underdamped, critically damped, and overdamped harmonic oscillators with a driving force. A unitary operator transforming Hamiltonian into a simple form is introduced. The transformed Hamiltonian, represented in terms of a modified frequency ω, is identical with the Hamiltonian of the standard harmonic oscillator for the underdamped oscillator, with the Hamiltonian of a free particle for the critically damped oscillator, and with the Hamiltonian of a system with a harmonic parabolic potential for the overdamped oscillator. The eigenvalues of underdamped oscillator are discrete while those of the critically damped and the overdamped oscillators are continuous.