Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-ii-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/paper-1/6/b/solution
Past exam of the theoretical physics II course of the University of Cambridge 2013 Paper 1 6 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Assume a positive-energy incoming particle, , and a nonzero upward step . Set and . With the common time factor removed, take and . The right-hand wavenumber satisfies ; its physical branch is specified in part (c). Integrating the stationary equation across the finite step requires continuity of and , giving and . ThusThese are wave amplitudes, not flux probabilities. The Noether current of scalar electrodynamics, in a convenient common normalization for a stationary mode, is and . For a real , its charge-current ratios are and , with . The same statement uses for a decaying solution. The electrostatic potential couples through the time derivative; it is not a Lorentz-scalar mass shift. A zero step is recovered separately with , and .
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