Doubt on Morse potential and harmonic oscillator

In summary: I think that if you are going to continue talking about quantum mechanics and wavefunctions, you need to think more carefully about how to define classical ideas like kinetic energy and potential energy in terms of wavefunctions.In summary, the conversation discusses the use of Morse potential in determining vibration levels of diatomic molecules and how it relates to classical and quantum mechanics. The main question is whether the potential energy corresponding to the horizontal line of the vibrational ground state is equal to the ground state energy in quantum mechanics. However, there is a potential issue with mixing classical and quantum mechanics in this discussion, as the concept of kinetic and potential energy may not be applicable in quantum mechanics.
  • #1
Salmone
101
13
I have a little doubt about Morse potential used for vibration levels of diatomic molecules. With regard to the image below, if the diatomic molecule is in the vibrational ground state, when the oscillation reaches the maximum amplitude for that state the velocity of the molecule must be zero so that the kinetic energy will be zero and the Hamiltonian will be equal to the potential energy for that particular state. Now, since in quantum harmonic oscillator the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian are equal to ##E=\hbar\omega(n+\frac{1}{2})##, for the ground state we have ##E=\frac{\hbar\omega}{2}##, so the total energy (kinetic + potential) must be always equal to that value in the G.S., for what I've wrote before then must be that the potential energy corresponding to the orizontal line of the vibrational ground state that is, the potential energy when the maximum amplitude is reached, is equal to ##E=\frac{\hbar\omega}{2}##, is it right?
649px-Morse-potential.png
 
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  • #2
Can you write a shorter question? I have some difficulties understanding what you are really wondering about
 
  • #3
I think one issue here is that the OP is mixing quantum and classical mechanics.

Salmone, I agree with the first half of your post as a description of the underlying classical mechanics of a simple harmonic oscillator (I'll ignore the Morse potential, as I think it is irrelevant to the question). However, when you move to quantum mechanics, which you do when you start your discussion of the ground state energy, you have to switch to studying wavefunctions. The danger of combining quantum and classical observations as you have done is that discussion of the kinetic energy and potential energy fails to work in quantum mechanics. In the quantum mechanics of a SHO, the kinetic energy and potential energy do not commute and care has to be taken when you discuss them separately. There are classical-looking states called coherent states, but they are not the ground state, instead they are constructed from a particular sum of all the energy eigenstates.
 
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1. What is the difference between the Morse potential and the harmonic oscillator?

The Morse potential is an anharmonic potential energy function that is used to model the potential energy of a diatomic molecule. It takes into account the non-linear behavior of the bond between the two atoms. On the other hand, the harmonic oscillator is a simpler potential energy function that assumes a linear bond between the two atoms and only considers the stretching motion of the bond.

2. How do the potential energy curves of the Morse potential and harmonic oscillator differ?

The potential energy curve of the Morse potential is deeper and more asymmetric compared to that of the harmonic oscillator. This is due to the anharmonicity in the Morse potential, which causes the bond to become weaker at larger distances between the atoms.

3. What are the advantages of using the Morse potential over the harmonic oscillator?

The Morse potential is a more accurate representation of the potential energy of a diatomic molecule compared to the harmonic oscillator. It takes into account the anharmonicity of the bond and can better predict the behavior of the molecule at larger distances. Additionally, the Morse potential allows for the calculation of the dissociation energy of the molecule, which is not possible with the harmonic oscillator.

4. Can the Morse potential be used to model other types of molecules?

Yes, the Morse potential can be used to model other types of molecules, such as polyatomic molecules. However, it may need to be modified to account for the additional degrees of freedom in these molecules.

5. How is the Morse potential related to the harmonic oscillator in the limit of small displacements?

In the limit of small displacements, the Morse potential approaches the harmonic oscillator potential. This means that the behavior of the molecule near its equilibrium position can be described by the harmonic oscillator potential energy function. However, as the displacement increases, the anharmonicity in the Morse potential becomes more significant and the behavior of the molecule deviates from that of the harmonic oscillator.

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