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European Journal of Physics

An elementary derivation of the quantum virial theorem from Hellmann–Feynman theorem

Y. İpekoğlu, S. Turgut

Published Jun 1, 2016• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract A simple proof of the quantum virial theorem that can be used in undergraduate courses is given. The proof proceeds by first showing that the energy eigenvalues of a Hamiltonian remain invariant under a scale transformation. Then invoking the Hellmann–Feynman theorem produces the final statement of the virial theorem.
DOI
10.1088/0143-0807/37/4/045405

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