Polaron dynamics with a multitude of Davydov D$_2$ trial states

Abstract: We propose an extension to the Davydov D$_2$ Ansatz in the dynamics study of the Holstein molecular crystal model with diagonal and off-diagonal exciton-phonon coupling using the Dirac-Frenkel time-dependent variational principle. The new trial state by the name of the "multi-D$_2$ Ansatz" is a linear combination of Davydov D$_2$ trial states, and its validity is carefully examined by quantifying how faithfully it follows the Schr\"odinger equation. Considerable improvements in accuracy have been demonstrated in comparison with the usual Davydov trial states, i.e., the single D$_1$ and D$_2$ Ans\"atze. With an increase in the number of the Davydov D$_2$ trial states in the multi-D$_2$ Ansatz, deviation from the exact Schr\"odinger dynamics is gradually diminished, leading to a numerically exact solution to the Schr\"odinger equation.