Warning!

Test on Mar 26 (next Monday)

1. 5 homework type problems
2. 5 short problems (multiple choices/ fill in
the blanks etc.)
Materials:
Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Sections
Time independent Schrödinger equation (Text
5.7)

1. So the energy eigenstate must be of the form

En
-i t
Ψn (x, t) =ψ (x) e h
(or ψ (x) e-iωn t with E n = hωn )
2. ψ(x) is to be determined by U(x) in the Time Independent Schrödinger
Equation: ⎡ h 2 ∂ 2 ⎤
⎢- + U(x)⎥ψ (x) = E nψ (x)
⎣ 2m ∂x
2
⎦
3. En is just the eigenvalue of energy.
4. Ψn(x,t) can be used as the building blocks of any wave function (say, f(x,t)):
En
f(x, t) = ∑ A n Ψn (x, t) = ∑ A nψ n (x)e
- t
h

n
5. If the wave function is an eigenstaten of energy, then the system will stay in
this eigenstate forever. If the wave function is a combination of several
eigenstates, the phase factor exp(iωnt) will “mix” the eigenstates over time.
Time independent Schrödinger equation (Text
5.7)

Example: In free space, U(x)=0. Schrödinger equation:

h2 ∂2
- ψ (x) = E nψ (x)
2m ∂x 2

The solution is ψ(x) = Aeikx and the energy eigenvalue is

h2k 2
E=
2m
So the complete energy eigenstate is
i(kx-ωt) h 2k 2
Ψ(x, t) = Ae with E = = hω
2m
In other words, plane waves are the energy eigenstates for a free
particle.

If a particle is described by a plane wave, that plane wave will remain

as a description of that particle forever because it is an energy
eigenstate.
Time independent Schrödinger equation (Text
5.7)

But that DOESN’T mean a wave function has to be an energy eigenstate! For
example, we can construct a wavefunction as:
2 i(k1x -ω1t) 3 i(k2 x -ω2 t)
Ψ(x, t) = e + e
5 5
This wave function is NOT an eigenstate of energy but it obeys the
Schröedinger equation (try it!). To calculate the probability density:
∴ ρ (x, t) = Ψ * ( x, t) Ψ ( x, t)
⎡ 2 -i(k1x -ω1t) 3 -i(k 2 x -ω2 t) ⎤ ⎡ 2 i(k1x -ω1t) 3 i(k 2 x -ω2 t) ⎤
=⎢ e + e ⎥⎢ e + e ⎥
⎣ 5 5 ⎦⎣ 5 5 ⎦
2 2
⎛ 2 ⎞ ⎛ 3 ⎞ ⎛ 2 ⎞⎛ 3 ⎞ i[(k1x -ω1t)-(k 2 x -ω2 t)] -i[(k1x -ω1t)-(k 2 x -ω2 t)]
= ⎜⎜
5
⎟ +⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟
⎟ ⎜ 5 ⎟ + ⎜ 5 ⎟⎜ 5 ⎟ e [ +e ]
⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠⎝ ⎠
2 6
= 1+ cos [(k1 - k 2 )x - (ω1 - ω2 )t]
5
Time independent Schrödinger equation (Text
5.7)
When many energy eigenstates (Gaussian spectrum) mix together:

Re(Ψ(x,t)
Im(Ψ(x,t)
|Ψ(x,t)|2

The wavepacket follows Schrödinger equation, but it is not an energy eigenstate.

Time independent Schrödinger equation (Text
5.7)

The following statements mean the same

thing:

Solving Schrödinger equation

⇔
Finding all energy eigenvectors and their
corresponding energy eigenvalues
⇔

Diagonalization of the Hamiltonian

Time independent Schrödinger equation (Text
5.7)

The “complete” quantum mechanics problem: Beginning level

1. Given a potential, solve Schrödinger equation and obtain a complete
set of eigenfunctions ψn(x).

2. Given the wave function at t=0 (say, f(x)), decompose f(x) as a linear
combination of ψn(x):
f(x) = ∑ a n ψ n (x)
n Later
3. Now we can “predict” how the wave function looks like in the future:
f(x, t) = ∑ a n ψ n (x) e-iωn t
n
 Particle in a box (Text 5.8)

The problem:
Solve the Schrödinger equation for a particle
trapped in the region [0, L]
∞ ∞
The particle is trapped by an “infinite
U(x)
potential well”:
⎧∞ x≤0
⎪
U(x) = ⎨0 0<x<L
⎪∞ L≤x
⎩

0 L
 Particle in a box (Text 5.8)

The solution: Within the box :

h2 ∂2
- ψ (x) = Eψ (x)
2m ∂x 2
h 2k 2
⇒ ψ (x) = Ae ikx
+ Be -ikx
with E =
2m

∞ ∞
U(x)

Outside the well: ψ(x)=0 Outside the well: ψ(x)=0

0 L
 Particle in a box (Text 5.8)

Difference between solutions of particle in a box and a free particle:

Free particle
eikx

e-ikx

Particle in a box My guess is,

A=B?
Aeikx+Be-ikx
 Properties of wave functions (Text 5.1)
E W
5. Mathematical properties of Ψ: I
a. Ψ must be continuous and single-valued everywhere. R EV
b. ∂Ψ/∂x, ∂Ψ/∂y, ∂Ψ/∂z must be continuous and single-valued everywhere.
(There may be exception in some special situations, we will discuss this later.)
c. Ψ must be normalizable. |Ψ|2 must go 0 fast enough as x, y, or z →±∞ so
that ∫ |Ψ|2 dV remains finite.
We are going to because of (c)
ψ(x) Not okay
discuss this NOW!
Not okay because of (b)

Not okay because of (a)

x
 Particle in a box (Text 5.8)

Boundary conditions:
Strange thing (“quantization”) occurs when boundary conditions are applied.

∞ ∞
U(x)

Outside the well: ψ(x)=0 Outside the well: ψ(x)=0

0 L We require ψ(x) to be
continuous here!
 Particle in a box (Text 5.8)

Boundary conditions:
But continuity for the first derivative ∂Ψ/∂x cannot be satisfied when U(x) =∞.

∞ ∞
U(x)

Outside the well: ψ(x)=0 Outside the well: ψ(x)=0

0 L So dψ/dx is not
continuous here!