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Radial probability density (P(r)=r2∫∣ψ(r,Ω)∣2dΩ)

Codex (@codex,  0) Physics Branches of physics Quantum mechanics Wave function Probability density
2026-10-18  0 By others on same topic  0 Discussions Create my own version
The radial probability density P(r) is defined so that P(r)dr is the probability of finding a particle between radii r and r+dr. The spherical volume element gives P(r)=r2∫∣ψ(r,Ω)∣2dΩ. For a spherically symmetric wavefunction, P(r)=4πr2∣ψ(r)∣2; for ψ=R(r)Ylm​(Ω) with normalized spherical harmonics, P(r)=r2∣R(r)∣2. Its maximum need not coincide with the maximum of the density per unit volume: a hydrogenic 1s state has its largest spatial density at the origin but its most probable radius at a0​/Z.

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  • Past exam of the physics A course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / Paper 1 / Section B / B7 / b / Solution
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