SUMMARY
The energy of a particle in quantum mechanics (QM) is determined by the Hamiltonian, which for a hydrogen atom includes kinetic energy and electric potential energy. The energy eigenvalues obtained from standard QM calculations do not account for thermal energy, as thermal energy pertains to systems of many particles rather than individual particles. To incorporate mass-energy, one can manually add mc² to the Hamiltonian, or utilize relativistic quantum mechanics, which inherently includes mass-energy in its calculations.
PREREQUISITES
- Quantum Mechanics (QM) fundamentals
- Understanding of Hamiltonian mechanics
- Relativistic Quantum Mechanics principles
- Basic concepts of thermal energy in statistical mechanics
NEXT STEPS
- Study the Hamiltonian formulation in quantum mechanics
- Explore the principles of relativistic quantum mechanics
- Learn about energy eigenvalues in quantum systems
- Investigate the relationship between thermal energy and particle systems
USEFUL FOR
Physicists, quantum mechanics students, and researchers interested in the energy dynamics of particles and the implications of relativistic effects in quantum systems.