Put . Eliminating the middle-segment complex amplitudes using the right-hand boundary conditions givesHence the displacement reflection coefficient isFor finite positive real mechanical impedances, its denominator cannot vanish at real . The real and imaginary parts of the numerator must therefore vanish separately:This gives all three possibilities.
If the exterior strings differ, , then , so andThe middle segment is a quarter-wave impedance transformer. Its two reflected contributions cancel at these odd quarter-wavelength thicknesses. Here is specifically the wavelength in the middle string; the matching is not generally valid at every frequency.
If but differs, the second condition requires , givingA whole number of half-wavelengths reproduces the exterior mechanical impedance at the input. The formal limit is zero frequency or zero segment length, rather than a finite-wavelength resonance.
Finally, if , both conditions hold identically: . Since the system is lossless, each of these cases also gives unit transmitted power.
Quantum quarter-wave matching layer 2026-10-18
For equal-mass one-dimensional scattering between regions with real wavenumbers , insert a layer of width and wavenumber . For a purely right-moving incident wave of amplitude and no reflection, continuity at the first edge gives interior amplitudes and . If , continuity at the second edge gives a transmitted edge amplitude and the matching condition . Thus and the transmitted probability current equals the incident current, despite their unequal amplitudes.
For potentials with , the condition is , or , requiring . It is the quantum-wave counterpart of a quarter-wave impedance transformer: the intermediate wavenumber is the geometric mean and the two reflected amplitudes cancel.