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arXiv:1002.1278

Unexpected Delta-Function Term in the Radial Schrodinger Equation

Anzor Khelashvili, Teimuraz Nadareishvili

Published Feb 5, 2010• 0 citations
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Abstract

Careful exploration of the idea that equation for radial wave function must be compatible with the full Schrodinger equation shows appearance of the delta-function while reduction of full Schrodinger equation in spherical coordinates. Elimination of this extra term produces a boundary condition for the radial wave function, which is the same both for regular and singular potentials.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1002.1278

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Careful exploration of the idea that equation for radial wave function must be compatible with the full Schrodinger equation shows appearance of the delta-function while reduction of full Schrodinger equation in spherical coordinates. Elimination of this extra term produces a boundary condition for the radial wave function, which is the same both for regular and singular potentials.
There is much discussion in the mathematical physics literature as well as in quantum mechanics textbooks on spherically symmetric potentials. Nevertheless, there is no consensus about the behavior of the radial function at the origin, particularly for singular potentials. A careful derivation of the radial Schrödinger equation leads to the appearance of a delta function term when the Laplace operator is written in spherical coordinates. As a result, regardless of the behavior of the potential, an additional constraint is imposed on the radial wave function in the form of a vanishing boundary condition at the origin.
We revisit the discussion about the boundary condition at the origin in the Schrödinger radial equation for central potentials. We give a transparent and convincing reason for demanding the radial part R(r) of the wave function to be finite at r = 0, showing that if R(0) diverges the complete wave function ψ does not satisfy the full Schrödinger equation. If R(r) is singular, we show that the corresponding ψ follows an equation similar to Schrödinger's, but with an additional term involving the Dirac delta function or its derivatives at the origin. Although, in general, understanding some of our arguments requires certain knowledge of the theory of distributions, the important case of a behavior R ∝ 1/r near r = 0, which gives rise to a normalizable ψ, is especially simple: The origin of the Dirac delta term is clearly demonstrated by using a slight modification of the usual spherical coordinates. The argument can be easily followed by undergraduate physics students.