Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-advanced-quantum-physics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/1/c/solution
Past exam of the advanced quantum physics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Write . The shell theorem makes the potential energy of the Electron constant inside the charged spherical shell. Relative to the point-proton Coulomb potential, the perturbation isIt is positive: the finite charge distribution weakens the attraction close to the origin.
The first-order energy correction is the expectation value of this perturbation in the unperturbed hydrogen atom ground state. Integrating its probability density over spherical volume givesFor a proton radius much smaller than the Bohr radius, expand the exponential uniformly over this short interval. The leading integral isSince , the signed fractional change isEquivalently, to leading order: the energy increases and the binding-energy magnitude decreases. This is the finite proton-shell correction to hydrogen ground energy.
If no small-radius expansion is made, the same time-independent perturbation theory integral gives, with ,Its expansion starts with , in agreement with the leading result. The integral is exact for the first-order calculation; it is not an exact solution of the perturbed Schrödinger equation.
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