Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2004/ib/paper-1/8d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 ib Paper 1 8D Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For a real potential, the Time-dependent Schrödinger equation and its complex conjugate giveThe potential terms cancel. The expression on the right is a total derivative, givingFor the plane wave, and . With zero potential, substitution givesIt is a free-particle momentum eigenstate with momentum , energy and uniform probability flux. On the whole real line it is a generalized state, not a normalized square-integrable wavefunction; wave packets or box normalization give the corresponding physical interpretation.
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