Comparison between two models of absorption of matter waves by a thin time-dependent barrier

We report a quantitative, analytical, and numerical comparison between two models of the interaction of a nonrelativistic quantum particle with a thin time-dependent absorbing barrier. The first model represents the barrier by a set of time-dependent discontinuous matching conditions, which are closely related to Kottler boundary conditions used in stationary-wave optics as a mathematical basis for Kirchhoff diffraction theory. The second model mimics the absorbing barrier with an off-diagonal δ potential with a time-dependent amplitude. We show that the two models of absorption agree in their predictions in a semiclassical regime, the regime readily accessible in modern experiments with ultracold atoms.