Expectation Values for momentum and a particle in a square well

muffins08
Messages
2
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Calculate the expectation values of p and p2 for a particle in state n=2 in a square well potential.



Homework Equations




\Psi(x,y) = (2/L)*sin(n1\pix/L)*sin(n2\piy/L)

p= -i\hbar\partial/\partialx


The Attempt at a Solution



\int\Psip\Psidxdy limits being from 0 to L for both.

I derived the two dimension wave equation using separation of variables. This is where I had some questions. For the state n=2, does that mean both n1 and n2 equal 2 or does one of them equal 1 and the other 2 since from what I understand 1,2 would be the next highest energy level. Also as I was integrating, the x portion integrated nicely due to the momentum operator while the y portion stayed rather "unclean". Was I suppose to apply the momentum operator in both the x and y direction?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I don't know what n=2 is supposed to mean for a two dimensional square well where you have two quantum numbers. Are you sure they don't mean a one dimensional problem? That's also called a 'square well' referring to the shape of the potential. Square doesn't necessarily mean two dimensions.
 
Completely forgot I posted here, and yes I just realized that it's just a one dimensional well after lots of thinking...it's been a long a day heh. Thanks for the input though!
 
To solve this, I first used the units to work out that a= m* a/m, i.e. t=z/λ. This would allow you to determine the time duration within an interval section by section and then add this to the previous ones to obtain the age of the respective layer. However, this would require a constant thickness per year for each interval. However, since this is most likely not the case, my next consideration was that the age must be the integral of a 1/λ(z) function, which I cannot model.
Back
Top