Dirac delta Definition and 323 Threads

OK, the Dirac delta function has the following properties: \int_{ - \infty }^{ + \infty } {\delta (x - {x_0})dx} = 1 and \int_{ - \infty }^{ + \infty } {f({x_1})\delta ({x_1} - {x_0})d{x_1}} = f({x_0}) which is a convolution integral. Then if f({x_1}) = \delta (x - {x_1}) we get...

Hello, I'm dealing with the following equation: A e^{jat} + B e^{jbt} = C e^{jct} \forall t \in \mathbb{R} My book says: given nonzero constants A,B,C, if the above equation yelds for any real t, then the a,b,c constants must be equal. The above statement is prooved by taking the Fourier...

hi! i have a question regarding the delta function. if i have a delta distribution with an argument that is a function of multiple arguments, somthimg like: ∫δ(E-p^{2}_{i}/2m)dp^{N}, ranging over +-∞ now, the argument of the delta function vanishes on a sphere. i can evaluate the...

Hi there, I am trying to integrate this: http://imm.io/oqKi I should get the second line from the integral, but I can't show it. This should somehow relate to the Heaviside step function, or I am completely wrong. Any ideas? Sorry about the url, I fixed it.

Hello team! I saw the other day in a textbook that the Dirac delta function of the form d(x-a) can be written as d(a-x) but the method was not explained. I was wondering if anyone know where this comes from. I've been googling but can seem to find it out. Any help would be appreciated...

Homework Statement use the sifting property of the dirac delta function to evaluate the following integrals. a) integral from -inf to inf sin(t) delta(t-pi/2)dt b) integral from 0 to 2 e^(2t) delta(t-1)dt c) integral from 0 to pi e^tan(theta) delta(theta- 3pi/4)d(theta) d)...

I'm having a hard time grasping when I should use this little "function". I'm using Griffith's Intro to Electrodynamics and either he doesn't touch on it enough or I'm missing the point. From what I think I understand I'm to use it when there would be a singularity in a result or calculation(?)...

Homework Statement See http://mathworld.wolfram.com/DeltaFunction.html I want to show (6) on that page. I can show it using (7), but we aren't supposed to do that. I already proved (5), and my prof says to use the fact that (5) is true to get the answer. Homework Equations The...

It is fairly easy to demonstrate that the Dirac delta function is the Fourier transform of the plane wave function, and hence that: \delta(x)=∫_{-∞}^{∞}e^{ikx}dk (eg Tannoudji et al 'Quantum Physics' Vol 1 p101 A-39) Hence it should be the case that ∫_{-∞}^{∞}e^{ik}dk = \delta(1) = 0...

In my book the dirac delta is described by the equation on the attached picture. This realtion is derived from the Fourier transform, but I'm not sure that I understand what it says. If u=t it is clear that one gets f(u) in the Fourier inversion theorem. But why wouldn't u=t? In the derivation...

What's the reason that you write δ(x-x') rather than just δ(x') both indicating that the function is infinite at x=x' and 0 everywhere else? For me that notation just confuses me, and in my opinion the other notation is easier.

Hey All, I am trying to evaluate the limit: \lim_{x\to 0^{+}} \frac{\delta''(x)}{\delta''(x)} Where \delta'(x) is the first derivative of the dirac distribution and \delta''(x) is the second derivative of the dirac distribution. I thought about the fact that this expression...

A "simple" application of dirac delta "shift theorem"...help Homework Statement show that for a, b, c, d positive: δ(a/b-c/d) = bdδ(ad-bc) Homework Equations ∫f(x)δ(x-a)dx = f(a) The Attempt at a Solution Ok so I start with ∫δ(a/b-c/d)f(x)dx But I am not sure how to apply the shift...

Dear Forum Users, I have got more math question rather then the physics question. Does someone know if: \mid d(x)\mid^2 equals just d(x), here d(x) is just the Dirac delta ? best regards, nykon

Hello, I was under the impression that a dirac delta was a "legitimate" state for a particle: maybe not mathematically, but least physically. But I was recently told by a post-doc in QM that if your particle is in a dirac delta state at one moment, the very next moment the particle is...

Hello PF, When I was studying Quantum mechanics, I realized that this equality should be true, <{\psi}_{n} \mid {\psi}_{m}>=\int {\psi}_{m}^*{\psi}_{n}dx={\delta }_{mn} So {\psi}_{m}^*{\psi}_{n} must be equal to dirac delta function so that we provide the kronecker delta as a solution of...

If yes, how can we find it?

consider a particle in one dimention. there is a dirac delta potential such as V=-a delat(x) the wave functions in two sides(left and right) are Aexp(kx) and Aexp(-kx) respectively. so the differential of the wave functions are not continious at x=0. what is the justification here?

I was wondering which are the properties of functions defined in such a way that ∫dx f(y-x) g(x-z) = δ(y-z) where δ is Dirac delta and therefore g is a kind of inverse function of f (I see this integral as the continuous limit of the product of a matrix by its inverse, in which case the...

Homework Statement We have to give the total charge, dipol and quadrupol moments of a charge constellation, but I seem to be falling at the first hurdle. Q = \frac{1}{4\pi \epsilon_{0}} \int_{vol} \rho(\vec{r}) d^{3}\vec{r} whereby the charge density of the group of particles is...

From dirac, if A=B, then \frac{A}{x}=\frac{B}{x}+c\delta(x) (1) How this formula is derived? Since \frac{dlnx}{dx} = \frac{1}{x}-i\pi\delta(x) We can get \frac{A}{x} = A\frac{dlnx}{dx}+Ai\pi\delta(x) \frac{B}{x} = B\frac{dlnx}{dx}+Bi\pi\delta(x) So if A=B, \frac{A}{x}=\frac{B}{x}...

Hello, I am trying to show that: \delta(x) = \lim_{\epsilon \to 0} \frac{\sin(\frac{x}{\epsilon})}{\pi x} Is a viable representation of the dirac delta function. More specifically, it has to satisfy: \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \delta(x) f(x) dx = f(0) I know that the integral of...

What is the experimental evidence that a wavefunction will collapse to a dirac delta function, and not something more 'smeared' out?

In the equation for determining the coefficients of eigenfunctions of a continuous spectrum operator, I have trouble understanding the origin of the Dirac delta. a_f = INTEGRAL a_g ( INTEGRAL F_f F_g ) dq dg a is the coefficient, F = F(q) is an eigenfunction. From this it is shown that...

Homework Statement I'll post it as an image since the notation will be tricky to type out. It's problem 4. http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1228/307hw3.jpg Homework Equations Not sure this really applies hereThe Attempt at a Solution This is for a physics course but as you can see it's...

Homework Statement Integrate exp[abs(x)+3]*delta(x-2) dx, -1, 1 2. The attempt at a solution f(x)=exp[abs(x)+3]*delta(x-2) f(2)=148.4 Integrate exp[abs(x)+3]*delta(x-2) dx, -1, 1 = 0 [b]3. Why is the answer 0?

Probably a trivial question, but does Dirac delta function has (to have always) a physical dimension or is it used just as a auxiliary construct to express e.g. sudden force impulse, i.e. Force = Impulse \times \delta, where 'Impulse' carries the dimension? Any comments would be highly...

Hi, if the definition of a dirac delta (impulse) function is just a sinc function with an infinite height and 0 width, why is it that they are shown and used in Fourier analysis as having a finite height? for example g(t) = cos(2*PI*f0*t) has two impulses of height = 1/2 at f=+/-f0

Homework Statement For some reason these are just messing me up. I need to prove: 1. \delta(y)=\delta(-y) 2.\delta^{'}(y) = -\delta^{'}(-y) 3.\delta(ay) = (1/a)\delta(y) In 2, those are supposed to be first derivatives of the delta functions Homework Equations Use an integral...

in QF, every dirac delta function is accompanied by 2\pi,i.e.(2\pi)\delta(p-p_0) or (2\pi)^3\delta(\vec{p}-\vec{p_0}) the intergral element in QF is \int\frac{d^3p}{(2\pi)^3}\frac{1}{2E_P}, it comes from the integral element \int\frac{d^4p}{(2\pi)^4}(2\pi)\delta(p^2-m^2),I want to know why...

Homework Statement Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Can I write, say, f(x) \delta(x)=f(2)\delta(x)? Since \delta(x) =0 for x\neq0

let θ(x-x') be the function such that θ = 1 when x-x' > 0 and θ = 0 when x-x' < 0. Show that d/dx θ(x-x') = δ(x - x'). it is easy to show that d/dx θ(x-x') is 0 everywhere except at x = x'. To show that d/dx θ(x-x') is the dirac delta function i also need to show that the integral over the...

Homework Statement find \int_{-\infty}^{+\infty} x(t) \delta (\beta t - t_{0}) dt for x(t) = e^{a t} u(t) there is no information conserning a, β, or t_{0}... The Attempt at a Solution assuming that t_{0} is a constant\int_{-\infty}^{+\infty} x(t) \delta (\beta t - t_{0}) dt =...

I'm reading Daniel T. Gillespie's A QM Primer: An Elementary Introduction to the Formal Theory of QM. In the section on continuous eigenvalues, he admits to playing "fast and loose" with the laws of calculus, with respect to the Dirac delta function. I'd like to understand it better, or, if such...

Homework Statement Solve the given symbolic initial value problem: y''-2y'-3y=2\delta (t-1)-\delta (t-3) ;y(0)=2,y'(0)=2 The attempt at a solution Let Y(s):= L{y(t)}(s) Taking laplace transform of both sides: [s^{2}Y(s)-2s-2]-2[sY(s)-2]-3Y(s)=2e^{-s}-e^{-3s}...

Homework Statement An ideal particle of energy E is incident upon a rectangular barrier of width 2a and height V_{0}. Imagine adjusting the barrier width and height so that it approaches V(x)=\alpha \delta(x). What is the relationship between V0, alpha and a? Homework Equations The...

Homework Statement y[n] - (2/3)y[n-1] = x[n] what is y[n] if x[n] = diracdelta[n] The Attempt at a Solution for some reason, i argued that y[n-1] = diracdelta[n-1] so y[n] = diracdelta[n] + (2/3)diracdelta[n-1] Im pretty sure this is wrong, anybody can help?

Homework Statement Prove that \displaystyle \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \delta (at - t_0) \ dt = \frac{1}{ | a |} \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \delta (t - \frac{t_0}{a}) \ dt For some constant a. The Attempt at a Solution Edit: Looking at this again, I really don't understand where this is coming...

Homework Statement Prove the statement http://www.mathhelpforum.com/math-help/vlatex/pics/60_32c8daf48ffa5f233ecc2ac3660e517e.png The Attempt at a Solution I am clueless as to how I would go about doing this, I know the basic properties. I think it has to do with using epsilon...

Anyone know where I can find a discourse on the dirac delta function in spherical or polar coordinates, in particular why it is the form it is with correction coefficients? Thank you.

Homework Statement Dear all, I have a problem when I using MATLAB to get the Fourier transform of dirac delta function. below is my code.Homework Equations clear all; clc; close all; % t=0:0.002:2; t=0:0.002:4; dt=t(2)-t(1); u=zeros(size(t)); pos0=find(t>=1,1); u(pos0)=1/dt...

i don't really understand the dirac delta function in 3D. is it right that integral of f(r)d3(r-a)dt = f(a) where a = constant ,r is like variable x in 1D dirac delta function? so why when i have f(r')d3(r-r') , it picks out f(r)? where r is now a constant and r' is a...

Hello all, I joined this amazing forum just today.I hope that my question will get answered soon. So here it is.I am unable to understand a some steps in calculation. Please help me understand. Here is a linear homogeneous first order differential equation whose solution a research...

Although I am an aspiring physicist, I cannot cope with the physicist's love for vagueness when it comes to yielding math. Exactness is simply not a luxury that can be ignored, certainly not in theoretical physics. But okay, I realize the dirac delta function can be made exact by the use of...

So I've been told that the Dirac delta functional is a distribution, but I don't see why that's the case. I had an introduction to distributions in my calculus IV course, but as I remember it, a distribution involves and integral containing a the product of a function from the Schwartz space and...

i need help trying to find the laplace transform of te-t\delta(t) i know the laplace transform of te-t is 1/(s+1)2 but i don't know how to find the laplace transform of a product with the Dirac delta

Hi this is my first post here so I'm sorry if my question seems trivial. I haven't worked a lot with the dirac delta function before, so i always thought that the shifting property would only work as: \int\delta(x-h)\;f(x)\;dx=f(h) Now I've been reading some articles and I came across...

I understand that the Dirac delta function can be taken as a distribution. And that one can calculate the Shannon entropy or information content of any distribution. So what is the information content of the Dirac delta function? I think it is probably identically zero, but I'd like to see the...

Homework Statement a.) Given \delta_n=\frac{ne^{-{n^2}{x^2}}}{\pi} Show: x{\frac{d}{dt}\delta_n}=-\delta_n b.) For the finite interval (\pi,-\pi) expand the dirac delta function \delta(x-t) in sines and cosines, sinnx, cosnx, n=1,2,3... They are not orthogonal, they are normalized to...

Homework Statement Let's say we have a wire of finite length L with total charge Q evenly spread along the wire so that lambda=Q/L, linear charge density, is constant. The wire is shaped in x-y plane in some well behaved curve y = f(x). Find the surface charge density sigma(x,y). Homework...