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European Journal of Physics

Revisiting the bound states of a confined delta potential

Luiz G. M. Ramos, Antonio S. de Castro

Published Feb 29, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The stationary states of a particle under the influence of a delta potential confined by impenetrable walls are investigated using the method of expansion in orthogonal functions. The eigenfunctions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation are expressed in closed form by using a pair of closed-form expressions for series available in the literature. The analysis encompasses both attractive and repulsive potentials with arbitrary couplings. Confinement significantly impacts the quantum states and introduces a scenario of double degeneracy including the ground state. Analysis extends to discuss the transition to unconfinement. This research holds particular significance for educators and students engaged in mathematical methods applied to physics and quantum mechanics within undergraduate courses, offering valuable insights into the complex relationships among profiles of potentials, boundary conditions, and the resulting quantum phenomena.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6404/ad2ec1

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Abstract The stationary states of a particle under the influence of a delta potential confined by impenetrable walls are investigated using the method of expansion in orthogonal functions. The eigenfunctions of the time-independent Schrödinger equation are expressed in closed form by using a pair of closed-form expressions for series available in the literature. The analysis encompasses both attractive and repulsive potentials with arbitrary couplings. Confinement significantly impacts the quantum states and introduces a scenario of double degeneracy including the ground state. Analysis extends to discuss the transition to unconfinement. This research holds particular significance for educators and students engaged in mathematical methods applied to physics and quantum mechanics within undergraduate courses, offering valuable insights into the complex relationships among profiles of potentials, boundary conditions, and the resulting quantum phenomena.
We consider a time independent one dimensional finite range and repulsive constant potential barrier between two impenetrable walls. For a nonrelativistic massive particle projected towards the potential with energies less than the barrier and irrespective of the spatial positioning of the potential allowing for quantum tunneling, analytically we solve the corresponding Schrodinger equation. For a set of suitable parameters utilizing Mathematica we display the wave functions along with their associated probabilities for the entire region. We investigate the sensitivity of the probability distributions as a function of the potential range and display a gallery of our analysis. We extend our analysis for bound state particles confined within constant attractive potentials.
Quantum confinement is studied by numerically solving time-dependent (TD) Schrödinger equation (SE). An imaginary-time evolution technique is employed in conjunction with the minimization of an expectation value, to reach the global minimum. Excited states are obtained by imposing the orthogonality constraint with all lower states. Applications are made on three important model quantum systems, namely, harmonic, repulsive and quartic oscillators; enclosed inside an impenetrable box. The resulting diffusion equation is solved using finite-difference method. Both symmetric and asymmetric confinement are considered for attractive potential; for others only symmetrical confinement. Accurate eigenvalue, eigenfunction and position expectation values are obtained, which show excellent agreement with existing literature results. Variation of energies with respect to box length is followed for small, intermediate and large sizes. In essence, a simple accurate and reliable method is proposed for confinement in quantum systems.
The quantum mechanical problem of a particle in a infinite potential well with slanted walls is studied. The energy eigenvalues are determined by a transcendental equation involving the Airy function of the first kind. Two limiting cases are discussed. Next, the allowed energies are found by graphical and numerical methods. The graphical analysis hints that for large quantum numbers the consecutive energy levels get arbitrarily close together. This asymptotic behavior of the energy spectrum actually holds, as shown by means of an intuitive argument and confirmed by resorting to basic properties of Airy functions. In a sense, Bohr's correspondence principle is more accurately fulfilled than in the cases of the standard particle in a box or the harmonic oscillator. A state is regarded the more confined the less the probability of finding the particle in the classically forbidden region. For some stationary states the confinement degree is calculated and a comparison is made with the harmonic oscillator, for which the ground state is the least confined of all stationary states. In the symmetric case --- right and left walls of equal slope --- something unexpected happens: beyond a certain critical slope the ground state is no longer the least confined eigenstate. Over and above its interesting physical features, this problem provides students with the opportunity to get acquainted with Airy functions, which do not belong to the standard mathematical repertoire of physics undergraduates.
The quantum mechanical problem of a particle moving in one dimension (1D) under the influence of a singular potential is reexamined. An attractive delta function potential of infinite strength and the 1D Coulomb potential is considered in particular. In both cases the singularity acts as an impenetrable barrier, thus dividing space into two independent regions. Analysis of the scattering states gives results in agreement with this conclusion. The implications that the bound states of the 1D Coulomb potential cannot be classified according to parity, even though the potential is symmetric, is also discussed herein.
The direct variational method is used to study two simple confined systems, namely, the hydrogen atom and the harmonic oscillator within impenetrable spherical boxes. The trial wave functions have been assumed as the product of the ‘‘free’’ solutions of the corresponding Schrödinger equation and a simple function that satisfies the respective boundary conditions. The energy levels obtained in this way are extremely close to the exact ones, thus proving the utility of the proposed method. This might constitute a complementary exercise for undergraduate students since usual quantum mechanics textbooks do not explore the use of the variational method to study confined systems.
The Schrödinger equation for a particle in the V-shaped potential decorated by a repulsive or attractive Dirac delta function interaction at the center is solved, demonstrating the crucial influence of point interaction on the even-parity states of the original system without decoration. As strength of the attraction increases, the ground state energy falls down without limit; and in limit of infinitely large attraction, the ground state approaches a singular state. Our analysis and conclusion can be readily generalized to any one-dimensional system a particle interacts with symmetrical potential plus the Dirac delta function interaction at the center.