Integrating factor techniques applied to the Schrödinger-like equations. Comparison with Split-Step methods

Abstract: The nonlinear Schr\"odinger and the Schr\"odinger-Newton equations model many phenomena in various fields. Here, we perform an extensive numerical comparison between splitting methods (often employed to numerically solve these equations) and the integrating factor technique, also called Lawson method. Indeed, the latter is known to perform very well for the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, but has not been thoroughly investigated for the Schr\"odinger-Newton equation. Comparisons are made in one and two spatial dimensions, exploring different boundary conditions and parameters values. We show that for the short range potential of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, the integrating factor technique performs better than splitting algorithms, while, for the long range potential of the Schr\"odinger-Newton equation, it depends on the particular system considered.