  We propose a time-dependent approach to investigate the motion of electrons
in quantum pump device configurations. The occupied one-particle states are
propagated in real time and used to calculate the local electron density and
current. An advantage of the present computational scheme is that the same
computational effort is required to simulate monochromatic, polychromatic and
nonperiodic drivings. Furthermore, initial state dependence and history effects
are naturally accounted for. This approach can also be embedded in the
framework of time-dependent density functional theory to include
electron-electron interactions. In the special case of periodic drivings we
combine the Floquet theory with nonequilibrium Green's functions and obtain a
general expression for the pumped current in terms of inelastic transmission
probabilities. This latter result is used for benchmarking our propagation
scheme in the long-time limit. Finally, we discuss the limitations of
Floquet-based schemes and suggest our approach as a possible way to go beyond
them.
