Help with simple numerical ODE problem from QM

  • Thread starter Thread starter mistergrinch
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Numerical Ode Qm
mistergrinch
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
Here's a simple numerical analysis problem that is confusing me. Can someone help me understand what boundary conditions to use here?

f''(x) - (x^2 - E_n) * f(x) = 0;

Assume f -> 0 as x -> +- inf. This equation comes from Schrodinger's equation for a one dimensional trapping potential, with E_n proportional to energy.

I am supposed to find the first five eigenvalues and eigenvectors with a shooting method, using x in [-4,4], and normalizing f so that int(f^2) = 1;

I'm not given any boundary conditions, so I'm not sure how to solve this problem. Can anyone help me understand what is going on here? Thanks!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If you are asked to find eigenvalues, then your boudary conditions have to be y(-4)= y(4)= 0.
 
There is the following linear Volterra equation of the second kind $$ y(x)+\int_{0}^{x} K(x-s) y(s)\,{\rm d}s = 1 $$ with kernel $$ K(x-s) = 1 - 4 \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \dfrac{1}{\lambda_n^2} e^{-\beta \lambda_n^2 (x-s)} $$ where $y(0)=1$, $\beta>0$ and $\lambda_n$ is the $n$-th positive root of the equation $J_0(x)=0$ (here $n$ is a natural number that numbers these positive roots in the order of increasing their values), $J_0(x)$ is the Bessel function of the first kind of zero order. I...
Are there any good visualization tutorials, written or video, that show graphically how separation of variables works? I particularly have the time-independent Schrodinger Equation in mind. There are hundreds of demonstrations out there which essentially distill to copies of one another. However I am trying to visualize in my mind how this process looks graphically - for example plotting t on one axis and x on the other for f(x,t). I have seen other good visual representations of...

Similar threads

Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
5
Views
3K
Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
2K
Back
Top