Why must A2 be zero in Schaum's Quantum Mechanics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the condition that A2 must be zero in the context of a problem from Schaum's Quantum Mechanics. Participants explore the implications of this condition on the wave function, particularly regarding boundary conditions and the behavior of wave functions at infinity.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the reasoning behind setting A2 to zero, suggesting that it leads to divergence of the wave function \Phi_{II}(x) as x approaches positive infinity.
  • Another participant asserts that setting A2 to zero fulfills the boundary condition of having incoming particles only from the left, implying a physical rationale for this condition.
  • A different participant raises a concern that if the wave function must be zero as x approaches infinity, this condition may not align with the earlier argument regarding A2.
  • One participant introduces a more advanced concept, discussing the nature of eigenstates in the continuous spectrum and the implications for normalization, suggesting that the wave functions involved may not be square-integrable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the necessity and implications of setting A2 to zero. There is no consensus on whether this condition is appropriate or if it leads to contradictions regarding the wave function's behavior at infinity.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved assumptions regarding the boundary conditions and the nature of the wave functions, particularly in relation to the energy levels and potential barriers. The discussion also touches on the mathematical treatment of eigenstates in quantum mechanics, which may not be fully addressed.

atomqwerty
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Hello,
In http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2825/sinttulobdd.png" from Schaum's Quantum Mechanics, I don't get why they say that A2 (with ' ) must be zero; I think in that case [itex]\Phi_{II}(x)[/itex] will diverge if x=+infinite, and we don't want that function to diverge, do we?

Thanks!
 
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With this step you simply fulfill the boundary condition that there should be incoming particles only from the left and not from the right.
 
vanhees71 said:
With this step you simply fulfill the boundary condition that there should be incoming particles only from the left and not from the right.

Yes, but it you put the condition that when x->infinite, the wave function must be zero, the it doesn't match!
Maybe this condition that I say is just when E<V...
 
If you are in the continuous part of the spectrum your "eigenstates" are not Hilbert-space vectors but generalized eigenstates. They belong to the dual of the nuclear space in the sense of the G'elfand triple (="rigged Hilbert space").

The most simple example are the "eigenstates" of the momentum operator. These are (in position representation) just the plane waves (here for simplicity written for the one-dimensional motion of a particle)

[tex]u_p(x)=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2 \pi}} \exp(\mathrm{i} x p).[/tex]

This is not a square-integrable function. It can not be normalized to 1 in the usual sense but only to a [itex]\delta[/itex] distribution, according to

[tex]\langle p_1|p_2 \rangle = \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \mathrm{d} x \; u_{p_1}^*(x) u_{p_2}(x)=\delta(p_1-p_2).[/tex]
 

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