Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/ii/paper-2/34b/solution

The asymptotic scattering wavefunction is . For a real central potential, the scattering phase shift multiplies the outgoing component of each partial wave relative to the incoming one by . Matching the incident-wave normalization gives
Subtract the given incident plane wave expansion. Since , the scattering amplitude is
Orthogonality eliminates cross terms in , giving .
For the spherical square well, the regular reduced radial wave is inside and outside, with . Continuity of the wave and its derivative gives the logarithmic-derivative matching relation , or
At zeros of the denominators the original matching relation supplies the limiting interpretation.
Under the stated deep-well approximation, put and . The condition is . If , its first positive solution lies in ; if , it is . For , a solution lies in because there rises continuously from zero to infinity. If , the first positive solution lies in , where rises from one to infinity. The limiting pole case gives by the cotangent relation. Thus , without calculating the integer phase index. The use of presumes the located wave numbers remain small compared with .

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