For a square well of width , exterior wavenumber and interior wavenumber , matching the wavefunction and its derivative gives the reflection probability , where . For example and give , whereas zero potential gives . Moreover deeper wells at have zero reflection by resonant transmission through a square well. Reflection therefore cannot be ordered solely by pointwise ordering of attractive potentials.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 ib Paper 1 15B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
No: ordering the attractive potentials does not impose the proposed ordering of reflection probabilities. Take and let denote the particle mass. Choose everywhere andThese satisfy every stated ordering and support condition. The incoming energy is ; the interior wavenumber in the finite square well is .
Here is an explicit matching calculation. For a general well of width , take exterior waves on the left and on the right. Shifting the incident phase in this way does not change the reflection probability. Continuity of the wavefunction and its first derivative gives the propagation relationInverting it and adding the two equations after dividing the derivative equation by yieldsThe incident and reflected exterior waves have the same speed, so their flux ratio isFor the chosen parameters and . ThusThe zero potential has no reflected component. This proves the failure with explicit probabilities. More generally the same expression vanishes at , explaining resonant transmission through a square well and why increasing attractive well depth does not monotonically control reflection.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ib Paper 2 16B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For a one-dimensional wavefunction, the probability density and probability current areThe Time-dependent Schrödinger equation with a real potential is . Multiply it and its complex conjugate by and , respectively. Subtracting cancels the real-potential terms and givesThis derives the continuity equation .
For , the specified free-region wavefunction combines a right-moving incoming wave of unit amplitude and a left-moving reflected wave with complex reflection amplitude . Applying the free Schrödinger operator to either plane wave gives . Its time factor has modulus one, soThe density includes the stationary interference pattern; , rather than , is the reflection probability.
For the finite square well, let outside and inside. Write the stationary parts as to the left, inside, and to the right. At both finite potential steps, the wavefunction and its first spatial derivative are continuous. Integrating the stationary Schrödinger equation across a shrinking step proves derivative continuity; a jump of the wavefunction would create an unmatched distributional derivative and is excluded.
Propagate the boundary values at back through the well. The values at zero areMatching them to and , and adding the two equations after division of the second by , givesSince the exterior wave numbers agree, the transmission probability is the current ratio , soWhen , , yieldingClassically an incoming particle of positive energy crosses the attractive well and emerges with its original energy, so transmission is one. The quantum result agrees exactly when is an integer multiple of :These are widths with resonant transmission through a square well; the degenerate width zero also has unit transmission.