July 2016

EPL, 115 (2016) 20002 www.epljournal.org

doi: 10.1209/0295-5075/115/20002

The third exactly solvable hypergeometric quantum-mechanical

potential
Artur Ishkhanyan(a)

Institute for Physical Research, NAS of Armenia - 0203, Ashtarak, Armenia and
Institute of Physics and Technology, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University - 634050, Tomsk, Russia

received 8 July 2016; accepted in final form 30 July 2016

published online 12 August 2016
PACS 03.65.Ge – Solutions of wave equations: bound states
PACS 02.30.Ik – Integrable systems
PACS 02.30.Gp – Special functions

Abstract – We introduce the third independent exactly solvable hypergeometric potential, af-
ter the Eckart and the Pöschl-Teller potentials, which is proportional to an energy-independent
parameter and has a shape that is independent of this parameter. The general solution of the
Schrödinger equation for this potential is written through fundamental solutions each of which
presents an irreducible combination of two Gauss hypergeometric functions. The potential is an
asymmetric step-barrier with variable height and steepness. Discussing the transmission above
such a barrier, we derive a compact formula for the reflection coefficient.

c EPLA, 2016
Copyright 

Introduction. – Though much insight in quantum me-
chanics is gained from understanding the solutions of the
Schrödinger equation in terms of special functions, such
solutions are rare. Among these, of particular interest
are the ones for which the involved parameters can be
varied independently because owing to the complete ana-
lytic examination of the whole variation range of the pos-
sible physical effects covered by such potentials this option
adds substantial generality and universality to the result-
ing observations.
However, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, the number
of such potentials is very limited. Besides, there are
only a few such potentials that are independent in the
sense that they cannot be derived from each other by
specifications of the involved parameters. For instance,
only a handful of such independent potentials is known
which are solvable in terms of the most known and
most used set of the special functions —the functions
of the hypergeometric class. Indeed, only three such
potentials solvable in terms of the Kummer confluent
hypergeometric functions have been known until the last
year. These were the harmonic oscillator (plus inverse
square) [1], the Coulomb (plus inverse square) potentials
discussed by Schrödinger [1,2] and Kratzer [3], and the
Morse potential [4]. Extending the collection to five
members, we have recently presented two more confluent
(a) E-mail: aishkhanyan@gmail.com
hypergeometric potentials —the inverse square root [5]
and the Lambert-W step-barrier potentials [6].
The list of the potentials that are solved in terms of
the Gauss hypergeometric functions, which are more gen-
eral functions that involve one more variable parameter
compared with the confluent hypergeometric functions,
is interestingly even shorter —the list includes just two
names: the Eckart [7] and the Pöschl-Teller [8] poten-
tials. The potentials widely discussed in the past such
as Rosen-Morse [9], Manning-Rosen [10], Hulthén [11],
Woods-Saxon [12], Scarf [13] and several other known ones
are particular cases of these two potentials [14,15].
In the present paper we introduce the third exactly
solvable Gauss hypergeometric potential. We present the
general solution of the problem which is achieved by re-
duction of the Schrödinger equation to the general Heun
equation [16] and further expansion of the solution of this
equation in terms of the Gauss hypergeometric functions
(see [17–20]). A peculiarity of the solution is that each
of the two fundamental solutions that compose the gen-
eral solution of the problem is given by an irreducible
linear combination of two Gauss hypergeometric func-
tions. We note that this feature, the two-term struc-
ture of each of the fundamental solutions of the prob-
lem, is common for all the three new exactly solvable
(confluent and ordinary) hypergeometric potentials as well
as several recently reported conditionally exactly solvable
potentials [21–23].

20002-p1
Artur Ishkhanyan

V (x)
1.0
written as
α α
ψ(x) = (z + 1) 1 (z − 1) 2 u(z),
0.8 √ (4)
z = 1 + e2(x−x0 )/σ ,
 
0.6 z+1
z(x) u(z) = 2 F1 α − 1, β; γ − 1;
6 2 (5)
0.4 5 (α2 − α1 + βz)  z+1

4 + 2 F 1 α, β + 1; γ; 2 ,
3 2 (γ − 1)
2
-2 0.2 1
-1
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3
x where the involved parameters are given as
-0.5

x
–6 –4 –2 2 4 6 (α, β, γ) = (α1 + α2 − α0 , α1 + α2 + α0 , 1 + 2α1 ), (6)

2
Fig. 1: (Colour online) Potential (1) for V0 = 0, V1 = 1, x0 = 0, α0 = ± −2mσ 2 (E − V0 ),
σ = −0.5, −1, −2 (in units ℏ = m = 1). The inset presents
 ℏ
−mσ 2 (7)
the coordinate transformation z(x). α1 = ± 2 (E − V0 + V1 ),
 2ℏ
2
α2 = ± −mσ2ℏ2 (E − V0 − V1 ).

The potential we introduce is defined for real parame- Here any combination for the signs of α0,1,2 is applicable.
ters on the whole coordinate axes. It is an asymmetric We note that by choosing different combinations one can
step-barrier, the height and the steepness of which are construct different fundamental solutions.
controlled by two independent parameters. The potential The potential and the corresponding solution are de-
involves two more independent parameters which stand for rived if one considers the reduction of the Schrödinger
the energy origin and the position of the step. Discussing equation to the general Heun equation [16],
the above-barrier transmission, we derive an exact formula
for the quantum-mechanical reflection coefficient.
 
γ δ ε
uzz + + + uz
z − a1 z − a2 z − a3
The potential and the solution. – The potential we
αβ z − q
consider is + u = 0. (8)
(z − a1 )(z − a2 )(z − a3 )
V1
V (x) = V0 + √ . (1) The technique for this reduction is based on the results
1 + e2(x−x0 )/σ of [24] and follows the particular lines developed for the
quantum two-state problem in [25–27]. To avoid the over-
This is an asymmetric step-barrier of height V1 , the steep-
lap with the texts of these papers we just briefly outline
ness of which is controlled by the parameter σ (fig. 1). In
the general derivation lines which are as follows.
the limit σ → 0 the potential turns into the abrupt-step
The transformation of the variables ψ = ϕ (z) u(z),
potential
z = z(x) with
VSP = V0 , if x < x0 ϕ(z) = ρ(z)−1/2 exp 21 f (z)dz ,
  
(for σ → −0). (2) (9)
VSP = V0 + V1 , if x > x0 ρ(z) = dz/dx

The potential (1) has four independent parameters, reduces the Schrödinger equation (3) to the equation
V0 , V1 , x0 and σ, which stand for the energy origin,
the step height, the position of the step and the scal- fz f2
I(z) = g − − =
ing of the space coordinate, respectively. We note that 2 4
 2
the sub-family of the potentials (1) generated by variation
 
1 ρz 1 ρz 2m E − V (z)
of σ at fixed V0,1√has a fixed point located at x = x0 : − − + 2 , (10)
2 ρ z 4 ρ ℏ ρ2
V (x0 ) = V0 + V1 / 2 (fig. 1).
where f (z) and g(z) are the coefficients of the general
It is straightforwardly checked that the one-dimensional
Heun eq. (8) and I(z) is the invariant [28] of that equation
stationary Schrödinger equation for a particle of mass m
and energy E, if it is rewritten in the Liouville normal form [29].
The basic assertion of [24] is that if a potential is pro-
d2 ψ 2m portional to an energy-independent parameter and has a
+ 2 (E − V (x)) ψ = 0, (3) shape which is independent of the energy and that param-
dx2 ℏ
eter, then the logarithmic z-derivative ρ′ (z)/ρ(z) cannot
for this potential with arbitrary (real or complex) pa- have poles other than the finite singularities of the target
rameters V0,1 and x0 , σ admits a fundamental solution equation to which the Schrödinger equation is reduced (see

20002-p2
 The third exactly solvable hypergeometric quantum-mechanical potential

R(E)
theorem (27) of [24]). There then follows that because the
1.0
Heun equation has three finite singular points (located at
z = a1 , a2 , a3 ) the appropriate coordinate transformation
0.8
is of the form
ρ = (z − a1 )m1 (z − a2 )m2 (z − a3 )m3 /σ, (11)
0.6
where m1,2,3 are integers or half-integers and σ is an arbi-
trary scaling constant. 0.4
Since the invariant I(z) of the Heun equation (8) is a
Abrupt-step
fourth-degree polynomial in z divided by (z − a1 )2 (z − 0.2
-0.1
a2 )2 (z − a3 )2 , the next step is now to match the (ρz /ρ)- -0.5
dependent terms of eq. (10) with this form of the invariant. -1.2
E
This leads to eleven independent cases which cover all 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

known potentials for which the Schrödinger equation is

solved in terms of hypergeometric functions and suggests
several new developments [30]. The third exactly solvable
hypergeometric potential that we have presented above is
derived if one checks the solutions which are written in
terms of a combination of two hypergeometric functions.
If a1,2,3 = (−1, 1, 0), the conditions for this to happen are
ε = −1 and q (q + γ − δ) = αβ (see the details in [19]). It
is then readily checked that these conditions are satisfied
if m1,2,3 = (1, 1, −1). According to eq. (9), we now put
ϕ(z) = (z − a1 )α1 (z − a2 )α2 (z − a3 )α3 ,
and require, as the form of the invariant I(z) indicates,
Fig. 2: (Colour online) The reflection coefficient R = 1 − T vs.
energy E for V0 = 0, V1 = 1, x0 = 0, σ = −0.1, −0.5, −1.2 (in
units ℏ = m = 1).
where C1,2 are arbitrary constants and the parameters
involved in the hypergeometric functions are given as
(a, b, c) = (α1 + α2 − α0 − 1, α1 + α2 + α0 , 2α1 ) (com-
pare with eq. (6)). The advantage of this choice is that
demanding the wave function at x → +∞ to involve only
(12) one plane wave, that is only the transmitted wave, we get
that C1 = 0 and

(z − a1 )2 (z − a2 )2 (z − a3 )2 V (z)/ρ2 = C = 2α1 −α2 −2 2 − αα2 C2 ;

0

ν0 + ν 1 z + ν 2 z 2 + ν 3 z 3 + ν 4 z 4 . (13) ψ(+∞) ∼ Cei k2 x :  (17)

k2 = 2m ℏ2 (E − V0 − V1 ) .
Finally, demanding the constants v0,1,2,3,4 to be inde-
pendent, we are straightforwardly led to the poten- Expanding now the solution at x → −∞, we get the
tial (1) and the corresponding solution of the Schrödinger asymptote
equation (4)–(7). 
Quantum-mechanical reflection at above-barrier +ik1 x −ik1 x 2m
ψ(−∞) ∼ Ae +Be , k1 = (E − V0 ) (18)
transmission. – The applications of the Schrödinger ℏ2
equation in contemporary physics cover an extremely wide with
set of effects in different branches. For this reason one may
envisage many discussions of the presented potential. As 2α1 +α2 −α0 (α1 − α2 ) (α1 + α2 ) Γ (2α0 ) Γ (2α2 )
A = −C2 ,
an example we consider the quantum-mechanical reflection Γ (α0 − α1 + α2 + 1) Γ (α0 + α1 + α2 + 1)
at transmission of a particle above this potential barrier. (19)
We note that the coordinate transformation α1 +α2 +α0
2 Γ (−2α0 ) Γ (2α2 )
 B = C2 , (20)
z = 1 + e2(x−x0 )/σ (14) Γ (−α0 − α1 + α2 ) Γ (−α0 + α1 + α2 )
maps the axes x ∈ (−∞, +∞) into the interval z ∈ where Γ is the Euler gamma function. The transmission
(+∞, 1) (see the inset of fig. 1). It is then convenient to coefficient is then determined as
rewrite the general solution of the problem in the following
 k2 C 2 
 
equivalent form:
T =  =
α
ψ(x) = (z + 1) 1 (z − 1) 2
α k1 A2 

α2 − α1 + bz dF (z)
 2 sinh (2πσk1 ) sinh (πσk2 )
· F (z) + , (15)   . (21)
ab dz cosh [πσ (2k1 + k2 )] − cosh πσ 2k12 − k22
with
  As expected, in the limit σ → 0 this recovers the result
1+z
F (z) = C1·2 F1 a, b; c; for the abrupt-step potential [31]:
2
4k1 k2
 
1−z
+ C2·2 F1 a, b; a + b − c + 1; , (16) T = TSP + O(σ 2 ), TSP = 2. (22)
2 (k1 + k2 )

20002-p3
Artur Ishkhanyan
It is readily checked that the correction term is always project “Leading Russian Research Universities” (Grant
positive so that we conclude that, because of the smooth- No. FTI 120 2014 of the Tomsk Polytechnic University).
ness, the transmission above the potential (1) is always
more than that for the abrupt-step potential (2). In the
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