Quantum harmonic oscillator

This equation is a subcase of Equation "Schrödinger equation for a one dimensional particle" with $V(x)=x^2$.

We get the time-independent Schrödinger equation by substituting this $V$ into Equation "time-independent Schrödinger equation for a one dimensional particle":

Now, there are two ways to go about this.

The first is the stupid "here's a guess" + "hey this family of solutions forms a complete bases"! This is exactly how we solved the problem at Section "Solving partial differential equations with the Fourier series", except that now the complete basis are the Hermite functions.

The second is the much celebrated ladder operator method.

A quantum version of the LC circuit!

TODO are there experiments, or just theoretical?

Show up in the solution of the quantum harmonic oscillator after separation of variables leading into the time-independent Schrödinger equation, much like solving partial differential equations with the Fourier series.

I.e.: they are both:

Not the same as Hermite polynomials.

www.physics.udel.edu/~jim/PHYS424_17F/Class%20Notes/Class_5.pdf by James MacDonald shows it well.

The operators are a natural guess on the lines of "if p and x were integers".

And then we can prove the ladder properties easily.

The commutator appear in the middle of this analysis.