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arXiv:0912.3198 · American Journal of Physics

The step-harmonic potential

Luca Rizzi, Oliver Fabio Piattella, Sergio L. Cacciatori, V. Gorini

Published Jul 14, 2010• 4 citations
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Abstract

We analyze the behavior of a quantum system described by a one-dimensional asymmetric potential consisting of a step plus a harmonic barrier. We solve the eigenvalue equation by the integral representation method, which allows us to classify the independent solutions as equivalence classes of homotopic paths in the complex plane. We then consider the propagation of a wave packet reflected by the harmonic barrier and obtain an expression for the interaction time as a function of the peak energy. For high energies we recover the classical half-period limit.

DOI
10.1119/1.3379290

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We analyze the behavior of a quantum system described by a one-dimensional asymmetric potential consisting of a step plus a harmonic barrier. We solve the eigenvalue equation by the integral representation method, which allows us to classify the independent solutions as equivalence classes of homotopic paths in the complex plane. We then consider the propagation of a wave packet reflected by the harmonic barrier and obtain an expression for the interaction time as a function of the peak energy. For high energies we recover the classical half-period limit.
We analyze the quantum-mechanical behavior of a system described by a one-dimensional asymmetric potential constituted by a step plus (i) a linear barrier or (ii) an exponential barrier. We solve the energy eigenvalue equation by means of the integral representation method, classifying the independent solutions as equivalence classes of homotopic paths in the complex plane. We discuss the structure of the bound states as function of the height U 0 of the step and we study the propagation of a sharp-peaked wave packet reflected by the barrier. For both the linear and the exponential barrier we provide an explicit formula for the delay time τ ( E ) as a function of the peak energy E. We display the resonant behavior of τ ( E ) at energies close to U 0. By analyzing the asymptotic behavior for large energies of the eigenfunctions of the continuous spectrum we also show that, as expected, τ ( E ) approaches the classical value for E → ∞, thus diverging for the step-linear case and vanishing for the step-exponential one.
We study the scattering of a particle by a square barrier potential that has a parabolic hole in between. The barrier is parameterized in such a form that the hole can be partially or completely removed. This can be also chosen to be symmetric or asymmetric with respect to the hole. Some expressions for the phase time are given and the time spent by the particle in the interaction zone of the barrier is calculated. It is shown that the related time delay depends on the symmetry operations that one can do on the potential.
A motion of a Gaussian wave packet of a single electron in a harmonic potential is obtained by solving the time dependent Schrödinger equation analytically. The analytic formula of the phase of the wave function which depends on both time and space is also presented explicitly. The probability density of the wave packet moves changing its width and central position periodically. The period of the change of the width is half of that of the central position. The interpretation of these periodic changes in terms of the Green's function which can be derived by the path integration formulation is also discussed.
By using the recent mathematical tools developed in quaternionic differential operator theory, we solve the Schrödinger equation in the presence of a quaternionic step potential. The analytic solution for the stationary states allows one to explicitly show the qualitative and quantitative differences between this quaternionic quantum dynamical system and its complex counterpart. A brief discussion on reflected and transmitted times, performed by using the stationary phase method, and its implication on the experimental evidence for deviations of standard quantum mechanics is also presented. The analytic solution given in this paper represents a fundamental mathematical tool to find an analytic approximation to the quaternionic barrier problem (up to now solved by numerical method).
The quantum harmonic-parabola system, whose potential energy is the negative harmonic potential, is analyzed and applied to the cases of a quantum well, barrier, and periodic lattices. The eigenstate of the quantum Hamiltonian of the harmonic-parabola system is obtained. It is shown that any function may be expanded in terms of the eigenfunctions of the system in a finite interval, and the propagator of the system can be obtained from the eigenfunctions. The energy eigenvalues, uncertainty, and probability density for the first few states are treated for the infinite harmonic-parabola well. The energy eigenvalues and their enumeration, the energy band, and the probability density for the first few states are obtained for a well composed of the parabola and constant potentials. The transmission coefficients and each potential interval dependence are determined for this well and the barrier of the parabola-constant potential structure. Periodic lattices composed of the parabola potential and parabola-constant potentials are constructed, and their dispersion relations, energy states, and bands are obtained.