Coherent-state analysis of the quantum bouncing ball

Gaussian-Klauder coherent states are applied to the bound 'quantum bouncer', a gravitating particle above an infinite potential boundary. These Gaussian-Klauder states, originally created for Rydberg atoms, provide an overcomplete set of wave functions that mimic classical trajectories for extended times through the utilization of energy localization. For the quantum bouncer, analytic methods are applied presently to compute first and second moments of position and momentum operators, and from these results, at least two scalings of Gaussian-Klauder parameters are highlighted, one of which tends to remains localized for markedly more bounces than comparable states that are Gaussian in position (by an order of magnitude in some cases). We close with a connection that compares Gaussian-Klauder states and positional Gaussian states directly for the quantum bouncer, relating the two through a known energy-position duality of Airy functions. Our results, taken together, ultimately reemphasize the primacy of energy localization as a key ingredient for long-lived classical correspondence in systems with smooth spectra.