Problem 1
At time t = 0 a particle is represented by the wave function
Ax
, 0 → x → a,
a
!(x, 0) = A(b ↑ x) , a → x → b,
b↑a
0, otherwise,
where A, a, and b are constants.
(a) Normalize ! (that is, find A in terms of a and b).
(b) Sketch !(x, 0) as a function of x.
(c) Where is the particle most likely to be found, at t = 0?
(d) What is the probability of finding the particle to the left of a? Check your
result in the limiting cases b = a and b = 2a.
(e) What is the expectation value of x?
Problem 2
Consider the wave function
!(x, t) = Ae→ω|x| e→iεt
where A, ω, and ε are positive real constants.
(a) Normalize !.
(b) Determine the expectation values of x and x2 .
(c) Find the standard deviation of x. Sketch the graph of |!|2 as a function of
x, and mark the points ↓x↔±ϑ to illustrate the sense in which ϑ represents
the “spread” in x. What is the probability that the particle would be found
outside this range?
Problem 3
Let Pab (t) be the probability of finding the particle in the range a < x < b, at
time t.
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(a) Show that
dPab
= J(a, t) ↑ J(b, t)
dt
where % &
i⊋ ϖ!↑ ϖ!
J(x, t) ↗ ! ↑ !↑
2m ϖx ϖx
What are the units of J(x, t)? [ J is called the probability current, because
it tells you the rate at which probability is “flowing” past the point x. If
Pab (t) is increasing, then more probability is flowing into the region at one
end than flows out at the other. ]
(b) Find the probability current for the wave function in the previous problem.
Problem 4
A particle of mass m is in the state
! "
mx2
→a ⊋ +it
!(x, t) = Ae
where A and a are positive real constants.
(a) Find A.
(b) For what potential energy function V (x) does ! satisfy the Schrödinger
equation?
(c) Calculate the expectation values of x, x2 , p, and p2 .
(d) Find ϑx and ϑp . Is their product consistent with the uncertainty principle?
Problem 5
Prove the following theorems:
(a) For normalizable solutions, the separation constant E must be real. Hint:
Write
E = E0 + i” (with E0 and ” real),
and show that if Equation 1.20 is to hold for all t, ” must be zero.
(b) ϱ can always be taken to be real (unlike !, which is necessarily complex).
Note: This doesn’t mean that every solution to the time-independent
Schrödinger equation is real; what it says is that if you’ve got one that is
not, it can always be expressed as a linear combination of solutions (with
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the same energy) that are. So in Equation 2.14 you might as well stick to
ϱ’s that are real.
Hint: If ϱ(x) satisfies the time-independent Schrödinger equation for a
given E, so too does its complex conjugate, and hence also the real linear
combinations
ϱ + ϱ↑ , i(ϱ ↑ ϱ ↑ ).
(c) If V (x) is an even function [i.e., V (↑x) = V (x)], then ϱ(x) can always be
taken to be either even or odd.
Hint: If ϱ(x) satisfies the time-independent Schrödinger equation for a
given E, so too does ϱ(↑x), and hence also the even and odd linear
combinations
ϱ(x) ± ϱ(↑x).
Problem 6
Show that E must exceed the minimum value of V (x) for every normalizable
solution to the time-independent Schrödinger equation. What is the classical
analog to this statement?
Hint: Rewrite Equation 2.4 in the form
d2 ϱ 2m ' (
= 2 V (x) ↑ E ϱ
dx 2 ⊋
If E < Vmin , then ϱ and its second derivative always have the same sign —
argue that such a function cannot be normalized.
