Engineering Physics

Quantum Physics
PHY1701

Dr. Samir Ranjan Meher (SMV221-B)

samirmeher@vit.ac.in
 Application of SchrÖdinger Equation
Particle in a Box Problem- 1D
Consider a particle of mass ‘m’ is confined to move inside a box along X-direction
only. The particle is trapped inside the infinitely hard walls of the box and it
cannot penetrate it.
X ∞ ∞

L
x=0 x=L
2
Infinite Square well potential of length
Potential can be written in the form,

 x  0, x  L
V ( x)   
0 0  x  L
Wavefunction corresponding to the particle must be zero where the potential is
infinity.

  0 for x  0 and x  L

Inside the box Schrodinger’s time independent equation is:

d 2  ( x) 2mE
2
 2  ( x)  0
dx h

Here, the energy ‘E’ is entirely kinetic. 3

d 2  ( x) 2 2mE
2
 k  ( x)  0, where k  2
 Wave-vector
dx h

Its general solution is given by,

ikx  ikx
 ( x)  Ae  Be
Boundary conditions are used to evaluate the constants ‘A’ and ‘B’.

 ( x)  0 at x  0 and x  L

 0  A.1  B.1  A   B

 ( x)  A  e  e ikx  ikx
  2iA sin  kx   C sin  kx 
4
  ( x)  0 at x  L  0  C sin( kL)  kL  n
n  1, 2,3,....

2 2 2
n n h
k and E n 
L 2mL2
 n x 
 n ( x)  C sin  
 L 
‘n’ is called as the quantum number

Since, the probability of finding the particle inside the box is unity, using the
normalization condition,
L

 n ( x) n ( x)dx  1
*

0 5
 L
 n x 
C  sin 
2 2
 dx  1
0  L 

  2 nx  
L 1  cos  
  L  
C 
2
 dx  1
0
2 
 

C2  L  2 nx  

2  x  2 n sin  L   1
   0

2
C
L 6
 2  n x 
 n ( x)  sin  
L  L 

2 2 2
n h
En 
2mL2

i.e. energy is quantized and the ground state energy is given by,

2 2
 h
E1  2
 Non-zero
2mL

7
8
 Particle in a Box Problem- 3D extrapolation

Set of 3 quantum numbers: n , n , n 

x y z

  x, y , z     x    y    z 

2 2 2  nx  x   n y  y   n z  z 
  x, y , z   sin   sin   sin  
lx l y lz l
 x   y   z  l l

 2  2  nx2 n y nz2 
2

En   2  2  2 
2m  l x l y l z 