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[SOLVED] Probability for a momentum value for particle in a box
This is the problem 7.37 from Levine's Quantum Chemistry Textbook.
Show that, for a particle in a one-dimensional box of length [tex]l[/tex], the probability of observing a value of [tex]p_{x}[/tex] between [tex]p[/tex] and [tex]p+dp[/tex] is:
Where [tex]s\equiv n\pi l^{-1}[/tex] and [tex]b\equiv p\hbar^{-1} [/tex]. The constant [tex]N[/tex] is to be chosen so that the integral from minus infinity to infinity of the previous equation is unity.
Since [tex]p[/tex] has a continue range of eigenvalues, the probability of finding a value of [tex]p[/tex] beetween [tex]p[/tex] and [tex]p+dp[/tex] for a system in the state [tex]\Psi[/tex] is
where [tex]g_{p}[/tex] are the eigenfunctions of [tex]\hat{p}[/tex].
For a particle in a box:
and the eigenfunctions of the momentum operator are:
I made the corresponding substitutions to obtain the integral:
Which after computing and using some identities gives:
Which looks a lot like the square root of the expression that I seek, however I'm stuck at this point. Any help will be appreciated, if more informations is needed please tell me.
Thanks in advance
Homework Statement
This is the problem 7.37 from Levine's Quantum Chemistry Textbook.
Show that, for a particle in a one-dimensional box of length [tex]l[/tex], the probability of observing a value of [tex]p_{x}[/tex] between [tex]p[/tex] and [tex]p+dp[/tex] is:
[tex]\frac{4|N|^{2}s^{2}}{l(s^{2}-b_{2})}\left(1-(-1)^{n}cos(bl)\right)dp[/tex]
Where [tex]s\equiv n\pi l^{-1}[/tex] and [tex]b\equiv p\hbar^{-1} [/tex]. The constant [tex]N[/tex] is to be chosen so that the integral from minus infinity to infinity of the previous equation is unity.
Homework Equations
Since [tex]p[/tex] has a continue range of eigenvalues, the probability of finding a value of [tex]p[/tex] beetween [tex]p[/tex] and [tex]p+dp[/tex] for a system in the state [tex]\Psi[/tex] is
[tex]|\left\langle g_{p}(x)|\Psi (x,t) \right\rangle |^{2}dp [/tex]
where [tex]g_{p}[/tex] are the eigenfunctions of [tex]\hat{p}[/tex].
For a particle in a box:
[tex]\Psi = \left(\frac{2}{l}\right)^{1/2}sin\left(\frac{n\pi x}{l}\right)[/tex]
and the eigenfunctions of the momentum operator are:
[tex]g=Ne^{ipx/\hbar}[/tex]
The Attempt at a Solution
I made the corresponding substitutions to obtain the integral:
[tex]\int ^{0}_{l}Ne^{-ipx/\hbar}\left(\frac{2}{l}\right)^{1/2}sin\left(\frac{n\pi x}{l}\right)dx[/tex]
Which after computing and using some identities gives:
[tex]\int ^{0}_{l}Ne^{-ipx/\hbar}\left(\frac{2}{l}\right)^{1/2}sin\left(\frac{n\pi x}{l}\right)dx = \frac{\sqrt{2}Ns\left[1-(-1)^{n}e^{-ibl}\right] }{\sqrt{l}\left(s^{2}-b^{2}\right)} [/tex]
Which looks a lot like the square root of the expression that I seek, however I'm stuck at this point. Any help will be appreciated, if more informations is needed please tell me.
Thanks in advance