Particle in a square well with a δ-function perturbation

WU Xue-yong

The first-,second- and third-order perturbation corrections to the zero-order energy levels and the first- and second- order corrections to the zero-order wave functions of particles in a one-dimensional infinite square well with a δ(x)-potential perturbation are calculated in detail.

Brian C. Hall

Lu Yinji, Hou Xianhuai

Akira Tamura, Yohhei Tatsumi

Abstract In order to specify the uncertainty relation for a particle confined in a finite square well potential we derived the standard deviation of momentum Δ p and that of position Δ x . It is shown that Δ p has a peak as a function of the well width and both Δ x and Δ p ⋅ Δ x have a dip in contrast to the case of the particle confined in an infinite square well potential. We clarified that Δ p 0 ⋅ Δ x 0 of the particle occupying the ground state exists in the finite range as a function of the well width and the potential-barrier height, but a particle confined in an infinite square well potential has a constant Δ p 0 ⋅ Δ x 0 . In addition, we found that the values of Δ p n ⋅ Δ x n for excited states diverge in a certain range of well widths, where the energy level of the confined particle exceeds the potential barrier.

Manuel Gadella, M. L. Glasser, Luis Miguel Nieto

André Gsponer

The electromagnetic scattering of a spin-0 charged particle off a fixed center is calculated in first-order quantum perturbation theory. This implies evaluating the square of a `Dirac delta-function,' an operation that is not defined in Schwartz distribution theory, and which in elementary text-books is dealt with according to `Fermi's golden rule.' In this paper these conventional calculations are carefully reviewed, and their crucial parts reformulated in a Colombeau algebra -- in which the product of distributions is mathematically well defined. The conclusions are: (1) The Dirac delta-function insuring energy conservation in first order perturbation theory belongs to a particular subset of representatives of the Schwartz distribution defined by the Dirac measure. These particular representatives have a well-defined square, and lead to a physically meaningful result in agreement with the data. (2) A truly consistent mathematical interpretation of these representatives is provided by their redefinition as Colombeau generalized functions. This implies that their square, and therefore the quantum mechanical rule leading from amplitudes to probabilities, is rigorously defined.