Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mphil-in-micro-and-nanotechnology-enterprise-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/paper-2/section-a-ii/15/i/solution
Past exam of the MPhil in micro- and nanotechnology enterprise course of the University of Cambridge 2019 Paper 2 Section A(ii) 15 i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
A physical bound-state wave function must be single-valued, finite, square-integrable and normalizable. Across a finite step in a regular potential, both and its first derivative are continuous when the particle mass is the same on either side; integrate the Schrödinger equation across an infinitesimal interval to obtain the derivative condition. The second derivative need not be continuous.
An infinite hard wall is an exception to derivative matching: the interior wave function vanishes at the boundary, but its derivative need not equal the exterior zero derivative. A delta-function potential also permits a prescribed derivative jump, and an effective-mass interface requires the appropriate mass-weighted matching condition. Thus ordinary finite-step conditions should not be asserted without qualification for every singular potential.
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