Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / ib / Paper 4 / 6B (Quantum Mechanics)

For a wavefunction $\Psi (x,t)$, the probability density and probability current areMultiply the Schrodinger equation by ${\Psi }^{\ast }$, multiply its complex conjugate by $\Psi$, and subtract. The real potential energy terms cancel, leavingwhich is the probability continuity equation ${\rho }_t+j_x=0$.

For a stationary state, ${\rho }_t=0$, so $j_x=0$ and $j$ is constant in space. A normalizable wavefunction has vanishing current at spatial infinity, forcing this constant to be zero. By contrast the nonnormalizable plane wavehas stationary density $|A{|}^2$ and nonzero currentwhen $k\ne 0$.

The momentum operator in the position representation is $\hat{p}=-i\hslash d/dx$. Differentiating the given Gaussian wave packet givesThe probability density $|\Psi {|}^2$ is an even function, so the term proportional to the odd function $x$ has integral zero. Normalization supplies ${\int }_{-\infty }^{\infty }|\Psi {|}^{2}dx=1$, and hence