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Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology

Stark Effect of Electron-Proton System with Computer-generated Visualizations

Jieqing Mo

Published Aug 21, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The energy level and wave function obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation are extremely important in quantum mechanics. In this study, the solution to the Schrödinger equation of the electron-proton system by separation of variables was briefly described and the visualizations of the various solution were generated by Mathematica. The perturbation theory was discussed with the exclusion of the correction terms coming from the degenerate subspace. Applying the perturbation theory to the wavefunctions of the electron-proton system to study the Stark effect, the perturbation Hamiltonian is a constant electrostatic field. For the principal quantum numbers n=1, n=2 and n=3, this paper obtains the energy corrections to the first and second degree, the corrections of the wavefunction to the first degree. The visualizations of the perturbed wavefunctions were obtained by setting the summation limits k=20 and other parameters to 1. The visualizations of various unperturbed-states and perturbed-states were generated by Mathematica version 13.2.

DOI
10.54097/hset.v64i.11279

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The energy level and wave function obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation are extremely important in quantum mechanics. In this study, the solution to the Schrödinger equation of the electron-proton system by separation of variables was briefly described and the visualizations of the various solution were generated by Mathematica. The perturbation theory was discussed with the exclusion of the correction terms coming from the degenerate subspace. Applying the perturbation theory to the wavefunctions of the electron-proton system to study the Stark effect, the perturbation Hamiltonian is a constant electrostatic field. For the principal quantum numbers n=1, n=2 and n=3, this paper obtains the energy corrections to the first and second degree, the corrections of the wavefunction to the first degree. The visualizations of the perturbed wavefunctions were obtained by setting the summation limits k=20 and other parameters to 1. The visualizations of various unperturbed-states and perturbed-states were generated by Mathematica version 13.2.
The Stark effect of the plane rotator is a pedagogically appealing problem for undergraduate courses on quantum mechanics and, accordingly, has appeared in a number of textbooks as an application of bound-state perturbation theory. Despite this fact and the apparent simplicity of the problem, all of the published accounts of it are erroneous in that they employ nondegenerate perturbation theory and present incorrect expressions for the perturbed eigenvalues and eigenstates. In this paper the problem is given a new treatment, based upon a simple analysis of symmetry features and a careful application of degenerate perturbation theory. The major shortcomings of previous discussions are pointed out and correct expressions are derived, to second order, for the perturbed state vectors and energy levels. The lifting of the twofold degeneracy of the mth unperturbed excitation energy in the 2mth order of perturbation theory is demonstrated. Finally, a comparison of the correct perturbation-theoretic results with the exact solution of the problem shows the two to be in identical correspondence.
The second-order perturbative Stark effect on the ground state of hydrogen is a typical example presented in many standard texts on quantum mechanics. Some texts miss the fact that the scattering states are significant contributors to the perturbative energy correction. The inclusion of scattering states has wider applicability than to just the Stark effect. An explicit calculation involving a finite-square well with a perturbation is used to illustrate the importance of including scattering states into the calculation. The second-order correction to the ground-state energy is obtained in three distinct ways. The first involves altering the problem by imposing additional boundary conditions at large distances to make the positive-energy spectrum discrete. The second makes use of the continuum scattering states directly. The third bypasses the use of scattering states by solving a differential equation for the first-order correction to the wave function.
Abstract In this chapter we review time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory in quantum mechanics. We begin with Rayleigh-Schrödinger perturbation theory for small corrections to the Hamiltonian for non-degenerate and degenerate spectra, which leads us to a discussion of avoided crossings. We then apply these methods to calculate the fine-structure corrections for the energy levels of the hydrogen atom, including the relativistic correction to the kinetic energy, the spin-orbit correction, and the Darwin term. We then turn to the effect of weak constant magnetic fields: for the resulting Zeeman effect we distinguish between the anomalous Zeeman effect and the Paschen-Back effect. In the context of the corresponding Stark effect for electric fields we introduce the Wigner-Eckart theorem and calculate perturbations to first and second order. We then turn to time-independent problems and discuss the Born-von Neumann series for the propagator, time-ordered integrals, the interaction picture, before explaining Fermi’s golden rule.
Abstract The theory of perturbations of electronic systems has been considered by various writers, and the method is the basis of the solution of most quantum problems. It therefore seems desirable that the theory should be placed on a firm footing, and this necessitates the discussion of the convergence of the series of perturbations, which up to the present has been avoided. This investigation is all the more necessary since the wave equation of the Stark Effect has no solution of the form assumed by Schrödinger in his original discussion of the perturbation theory. Dirac’s theory leads to a system of linear differential equations in an infinite number of variables, and 2 is devoted to the discussion of the existence theorem for such a system by a matrix method. In 3 the application is made to the perturbation theory in the case of perturbations satisfying the conditions assumed in 2. In 4 the theory is extended so as to include more general types of disturbances. It is shown that, though the series of perturbations does not in general converge, yet it usually possesses the same asymptotic character as in the classical theory, and its use can therefore be justified.
Even after nine decades of successful run of the Quantum Mechanics (QM), different viewpoints on foundational problems of Quantum Physics are still being actively debated. That is because mathematical logic of QM often defies the physical intuition which constitutes the main spirit of Physics. De Broglie’s hypothesis of matter waves implied that the dynamic characteristics of a micro particle in motion, can be ascribed to the wave characteristics of the wavelet accompanying the particle. The Schrödinger equation models the matter-wave interactions through wavefunction ψ and effectively serves as the foundation of QM. Even though mathematical structure of the Schrödinger equation is sound and elegant, here we show a conceptual mistake in the development of this equation wherein the physical situation has not been correctly modeled in the equation. The Coulomb potential energy of the proton electron pair in Hydrogen atom is essentially the negative interaction energy between their superposed electrostatic fields which is inversely proportional to their instantaneous separation distance. Assuming the proton to be relatively fixed at the origin of an appropriate coordinate system, the potential energy of the orbiting electron will be a function of instantaneous position coordinates of the electron. This has not been properly modeled in the Schrödinger equation. The resulting errors in the solution have been quantitatively demonstrated in this paper. We have stressed the necessity of incorporating a specific correction in the potential energy term of the Schrödinger equation, after which it may facilitate the adoption of Bohmian QM.
Abstract This review presents time-independent perturbative methods for solving the one-dimensional Schrödinger equation, highlighting representative cases that reveal key aspects of the theory. The focus is on their relevance to quantum computing applications, particularly in systems with finite-dimensional state spaces. The main link between these methods and quantum processing emerges when we consider systems with only a finite number of well-defined energy levels, e.g., two levels corresponding to the ‘zero’ and ‘one’ states of a quantum bit (qubit), for which the Schrödinger equation describes a quantum algorithm corresponding to the unitary evolution of the qubits. Perturbative techniques can then be applied to this evolution to gain deeper insight into the algorithm or to simplify it in a controlled manner, as described in the last sections of this review. We initially discuss representative applications using benchmark cases that exemplify the essential features of perturbation theory while avoiding unnecessary technical complications. The methods presented involve direct approaches to solutions for quantum systems with small potential perturbations, with consideration of indirect and approximation techniques. Key cases examined include the particle in a potential well, the harmonic oscillator, and systems with polynomial or Dirac delta distribution perturbations, each chosen to highlight unique aspects of perturbative analysis. Starting with an overview of the unperturbed Schrödinger equation, we derive canonical solutions and then use perturbative techniques to approximate energy shifts and wavefunction corrections in both non-degenerate and degenerate settings. By combining theoretical discussion with case studies, this review underscores how perturbative methods are applied across a range of elementary quantum mechanical problems especially for applications in the qubit model, which, in many cases of interest, can be reduced to the explicit calculations shown here.