Appendix A Review

Barrier Penetration

For a one-dimensional potential, free particles of mass m and energy E are represented by plane waves
that are incident from the left and encounter the rectangle potential of height V, where V > E. In the
region x < 0, the incoming wave eikx travels from left to right. At the barrier, a wave is reflected back and
travels from right to left with equation e-ikx. The total wavefunction at x < 0 is then ψ1(x) = Aeikx+Be-ikx,
with A and B being complex constants, and wave number k given by ħ2k2 = 2mE.

In the region 0 < x < a, the solution to the Schrodinger equation is a decaying exponential added with an
exponential wave reflected from the boundary at x=a. This wavefunction is ψ2(x) = Ce-kx+Dekx, with C and
D being complex constants and κ given by ħ2 κ 2 = 2m(V-E).

In region x > a, there only exists a wave moving from left to right with equation ψ3(x) = Feikx, where F is a
complex constant.

The transmission coefficient, T, is defined by T = |F/A|2. F and A are found by using the continuity of the
wave function and the first derivatives. They have to match at the boundaries of x = 0 and x = a.

Density of States

A spinless particle, mass m, inside a cube of sides L and volume V = L3. The cube has point (0, 0, 0) at the
origin and edges parallel to x, y, and z axes. Potential is zero in the box thus the walls are considered of
infinite potential barriers and the solutions to the Schrodinger equation vanish at the boundaries. The
solutions are standing waves of the form ψ(x,y,z) = C sin(kxx)sin(kyy)sin(kzz). C is a constant and the wave
number K = (kx,ky,kz), where ki = niπ/L, where i=x,y,z, and ni = 1,2,3,…. Particle energy is given by E =
(1/2m)(ħπ/L)2(nx2 + ny2 + nz2).

Allowed values of k form a cubic lattice in a quadrant of k-space where all values of ni are positive. Since
each state corresponds to one combination of (nx, ny, nz), the number of allowed states is equal to the
number of lattice points. The spacing between the states is (π/L) so the density of points per unit
volume in k-space is (L/π)3. The number of lattice points n(k0) with k less than k0, is the number
contained within a volume that for large values of k0 may be approximated by a quadrant of a sphere of
radius k0: n(k0) = (V/8π3)(4/3)(πk03).

The density of states is