Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-quantum-theory-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/1/b/iii/solution

At a finite jump in potential energy, the wavefunction and its first derivative must be continuous. A jump in the derivative would create a Dirac delta function in , for which the finite potential has no balancing term. For the even solution, matching at gives
A nonzero solution cannot have . It also cannot have : the first condition would give , while the second would force , a contradiction. Division is therefore valid and yields
Parity makes the conditions at identical to those already imposed. Finally the definitions of the decay and oscillation constants give
The circle relation fixes the well strength; the tangent relation selects its even bound states.

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