Quantum mechanics plays a fundamental role in the description and understanding of the natural phenomena. Actually, the phenomena that take place in atomic and subatomic scale can not be well explained without the quantum mechanics approach. Furthermore, there are a lot of phenomena in macroscopic scale that reveals the quantum behavior of nature. In this sense, we can say that quantum mechanics is fundamental for the understanding of all natural phenomena. In Quantum Mechanics the state of a particle is mathematically described by the wave function Ψ(r,t) and its time evolution is governed by time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Thus, we can state that the fundamental problem of quantum mechanics is to solve the Schrödinger Equation in an arbitrary situation. In this work, we study a numerical technique to solve the time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger Equation known as Split Operator technique. This aproach uses approximations for the exponencial of sum of operators that do not commute in order to implement the time-evolution operator. It makes possible to reduce the solution of the Schrödinger equation to a successive processes of multiplication and solution of tridiagonal system of linear equations. It can be easily performed using a computer. The technique was studied in detail using cartesian coordinates, and we also explained how to use the technique with periodic or finite boundary conditions. We make use this technique to study the behavior of an electron subjected to a random potential. In this situation we face the Anderson Localization phenomena. Furthermore, we developed the Split Operator technique using generalized coordinates, and studied the problem of an electron confined to a cylinder surface. It was verified that the numerical results agree with the analytical ones. So we can conclude that the Split Operator technique using generalized coordinates produce reliable results.
Quantum mechanics plays a fundamental role in the description and understanding of the natural phenomena. Actually, the phenomena that take place in atomic and subatomic scale can not be well explained without the quantum mechanics approach. Furthermore, there are a lot of phenomena in macroscopic scale that reveals the quantum behavior of nature. In this sense, we can say that quantum mechanics is fundamental for the understanding of all natural phenomena. In Quantum Mechanics the state of a particle is mathematically described by the wave function Ψ(r,t) and its time evolution is governed by time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Thus, we can state that the fundamental problem of quantum mechanics is to solve the Schrödinger Equation in an arbitrary situation. In this work, we study a numerical technique to solve the time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger Equation known as Split Operator technique. This aproach uses approximations for the exponencial of sum of operators that do not commute in order to implement the time-evolution operator. It makes possible to reduce the solution of the Schrödinger equation to a successive processes of multiplication and solution of tridiagonal system of linear equations. It can be easily performed using a computer. The technique was studied in detail using cartesian coordinates, and we also explained how to use the technique with periodic or finite boundary conditions. We make use this technique to study the behavior of an electron subjected to a random potential. In this situation we face the Anderson Localization phenomena. Furthermore, we developed the Split Operator technique using generalized coordinates, and studied the problem of an electron confined to a cylinder surface. It was verified that the numerical results agree with the analytical ones. So we can conclude that the Split Operator technique using generalized coordinates produce reliable results.
While scattering phenomena are discussed in most quantum mechanics textbooks, the analysis is usually performed using time-independent techniques. These techniques have certainly been successful in predicting the results of scattering events but fail to present an intuitive picture of what happens to the physical system during a collision. A remedy to this situation could be affected by the introduction of time-dependent techniques, utilizing the conceptually simple idea of a wavefunction evolving over time, but these methods have traditionally been computationally unmanageable. This paper describes a novel numerical technique, the split-operator Fourier transform method, which greatly reduces the amount of computational effort required to accurately solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. This method is applied to the Rutherford scattering problem in two dimensions and it is shown that the method is not only efficient enough to yield results in less than 15 min when implemented on a standard personal computer, but is also simple enough to be employed by an advanced undergraduate. The method also has the advantage of reinforcing the quantum-mechanical formalism in the student’s mind; both the evolution operator and the complementary relationship between operators and wavefunctions in coordinate and momentum space are exploited. The results of the calculations are presented as color graphs portraying the magnitude and phase of wave packets as they evolve through time.
Quantum mechanics describes phenomena that are key to understanding processes that cannot be explained by classical physics. This paper analyzes the behavior of particles in the presence of a potential barrier through numerical solutions to both time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger equations. These results enabled a detailed understanding of the energy structure and temporal dynamics of wave functions, including the phenomenon of quantum tunneling. The obtained data have a wide range of applications in technology: from semiconductor devices to quantum computing.
Quantum confinement is a relatively new subject matter in quantum mechanics. Quantum confinement traps the atom in a cavity whose dimensions are small enough to alter its properties. Some physicists have used the time-independent Schrodinger equation to obtain exact results for confinement problems. But this paper focuses on the dynamic of a hydrogen atom when it is moved from captivity. The goal of this project is to study and understand different methods used to predict solutions that cannot be obtained analytically which was done by relying on methods that approximates solutions. To do this, a differential equation with boundary conditions was manipulated with the computer programs C++ and Eclipse using Runge-Kutta, B-Splines, and the Schrodinger equation. While the Runge-Kutta method was utilized as a basis for the boundary problem, its simplicity was not viable for this research which contained so many complex variables. Instead, B-Splines were used to solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. B-Spline functions are designed to generalize polynomials for the purpose of approximating arbitrary functions. By taking the summation of the timeindependent Schrodinger equation, we obtained our desired results for the timedependent Schrodinger equation.
In the past few chapters, the Schrödinger equation has been developed and applied to the solution of a number of quantum mechanical problems, mainly to develop experience with the results of simple and common systems. The results from these examples can be summarized relatively simply. In general, quantization enters the problem through the non-commuting nature of conjugate operators such as position and momentum as well as from classical boundary quantization. This has led to the Schrödinger equation itself being the primary equation of motion for the wave function solution to the problem. In essence, duality is incredibly important and is the basic method by which the electron is treated as a wave, rather than as a particle, and the wave equation of interest is the Schrödinger equation. When boundary conditions are applied, either through potential barriers or through the form of the potential (as in the harmonic oscillator), the time-independent Schrödinger equation yields solutions that are often special functions. Examples of this are the sines and cosines in the rectangular-barrier case, the Airy functions in the triangular-well case, and the Hermite polynomials in the harmonic oscillator case.
For systems which obey quantum mechanics, the formulation of the problem of treating large numbers of particles is, of course, somewhat different than it is for classical systems. The microscopic description of the system is provided by a wave function which (in the absence of spin) is a function of the classical coordinates { q i }. The mathematical model is provided by a Hamiltonian operator H which is often obtained from the corresponding classical Hamiltonian by the replacement p i → ( ħ /i)(∂/∂ q i ). In other cases the form of the Hamiltonian operator is simply postulated. The microscopic dynamics are provided by the Schrödinger equation i ħ (∂Ψ/∂ t ) = H Ψ which requires as initial condition the knowledge of the wave function Ψ({ q i }, t ) at some initial time t 0 . (Boundary conditions on Ψ({ q i }, t ) must be specified as part of the description of the model as well.) The results of experiments in quantum mechanics are characterized by operators, usually obtained, like the Hamiltonian, from their classical forms and termed observables. Operators associated with observables must be Hermitian. In general, the various operators corresponding to observables do not commute with one another. It is possible to find sets of commuting operators whose mutual eigenstates span the Hilbert space in which the wave function is confined by the Schrödinger equation and the boundary conditions. A set of such (time independent) eigenstates, termed ψ ν ( q ), is a basis for the Hilbert space.
This paper discussed the digitization of some analytical solutions of the fundamental equation of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, the Schrödinger equation, in the Python programming environment. The main objective of the work is to automate the solution of several known analytically solvable problems of quantum mechanics and ensure their use in more complex problems. For this purpose, the Python programming environment was chosen, which, due to the large number of libraries and flexibility, is currently widely used in solving physical and mathematical problems. In the program we propose, which is available on the GitHub platform, it is solved easily. The problem of determining the probability of the spatial distribution of an electron in a hydrogen-like atom is discussed. The Schrödinger equation is presented in the spherical coordinate system. The wave function, describing the electron's state, quantized energy values, and probability density, is derived analytically. A recursive function was written in Python to handle the series coefficients defining the wave function. Utilizing relevant libraries, the resulting program constructs electron spatial distribution functions for different excitation levels. The paper then examines two one-dimensional tunneling scenarios and provides the tunneling coefficients in analytical form. A Python program was developed to plot the dependence of these coefficients on the particle's coordinate and energy. All the code is available on GitHub.