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Take a nonrelativistic particle of constant mass $m$ with energy $E>0$, and choose the same zero of potential energy on both sides of a rectangular potential barrier:The equality of the exterior potential energies matters: it gives the same exterior wavenumber $k=\sqrt{2mE}/\hslash$ and makes $T=|t{|}^2$. Here $\hslash =h/(2\pi )$ is the reduced Planck constant. This model has a finite jump in potential energy, no delta potential, and no absorbing term.

For $0<E<V_0$, the time-independent Schrödinger equation gives the spatial wavefunctionThe full stationary state is $\Psi (x,t)=\psi (x)e^{-iEt/\hslash }$. We set the incident probability amplitude to one and impose no incoming wave from the right; this scattering wavefunction is not a normalizable wavefunction. The tunnelling decay constant $\kappa$ describes exponential decay, rather than an oscillatory wavenumber in the barrier. Both exponential functions are needed on the finite interval: the growing term is not excluded by a condition at infinity.

The wavefunction and its derivative are continuous at each face, giving four linear matching conditions:Their solution supplies the transmission amplitudeA short derivation is to use the two right-face equations to express $A{e}^{\kappa a}$ and $B{e}^{-\kappa a}$ in terms of $t$, then substitute into the left-face equations. Taking the squared modulus gives the rectangular barrier transmission probability.

Consider hard walls at $x=0,3L$, zero potential energy on $0<x<L$ and $2L<x<3L$, and a central rectangular barrier whose height equals the ground state energy $E$. The time-independent Schrödinger equation gives ${\psi }^{\prime \prime }=0$ on the central interval. Reflection symmetry and the nodeless theorem for a one-dimensional ground state require an even, positive state about $3L/2$, hence a constant central segment. Wavefunction matching at a finite potential step makes the derivatives vanish at $L,2L$. The side segments are proportional to $\sin (\pi x/(2L))$ and $\sin (\pi (3L-x)/(2L))$. Their common plateau value is $1/\sqrt{2L}$ after wavefunction normalization, and $E={\pi }^2{\hslash }^2/(8m{L}^2)$. Equality of barrier height and energy is essential: a higher barrier gives positive curvature of a positive wavefunction in the middle, while a lower barrier gives negative curvature.

For a real, sufficiently smooth, nonvanishing wavefunction of a particle with constant mass, the time-independent Schrödinger equation determines the potential energy through the displayed logarithmic-curvature formula. An additive choice of energy origin fixes the remaining constant. For $\psi =e^{-a{x}^4}$ with $a>0$ and $V(0)=0$, it gives $E=0$ and $V=({\hslash }^2/2m)(16a^2{x}^6-12a{x}^2)$. At a node the quotient must instead be interpreted by a limit; an arbitrary trial wavefunction can produce singularities rather than a regular potential.

Let $u_r$ be a nonzero admissible mode, multiply the equation of part (d) by its complex conjugate and integrate between the cylinders. The endpoint conditions remove the boundary term in integration by parts, giving the Rayleigh stability integral identityRearrange to obtain a real Rayleigh quotient:The denominator is strictly positive. Consequently, with the paper's convention,The weak inequality $\Phi \le 0$ excludes exponentially growing axisymmetric modes, but permits marginal cases and possible algebraic growth when the restoring effect vanishes. Strict negativity avoids that degeneracy. Equivalently, the conventional Rayleigh discriminant is positive, or the squared specific angular momentum increases outward:This is the Rayleigh centrifugal stability criterion. In the suggested time-independent Schrödinger equation analogy, a growing mode has ${\omega }^2<0$; if $\Phi \le 0$, its effective potential $k^2\Phi /{\omega }^2$ is nonnegative. The nonnegative kinetic term and that potential cannot have the required negative eigenvalue $-k^2$, which gives the same exclusion.

As a sign check, for solid-body rotation ${\kappa }_{\mathrm{ep}}^2=4{\Omega }^2$ and $\Phi =-4{\Omega }^2$. In a gap of width $d=R_{>}-R_{<}$, the radial modes $u_r\propto \sin [n\pi (r-R_{<})/d]$ haveas expected for inertial waves. The argument establishes axisymmetric inviscid stability within the stated thin-gap model, rather than a claim about all perturbations of a viscous flow.

Infinite walls impose the Dirichlet boundary conditions $\psi (-a)=\psi (a)=0$. Inside the infinite square well, the time-independent Schrödinger equation is $-{\hslash }^2{\psi }^{\prime \prime }/(2m)=E\psi$. Its nonzero solutions satisfying both endpoint conditions have wave numbers $k_n=n\pi /(2a)$, $n\ge 1$. Sincethe normalized energy eigenstates are the sine modes with prefactor $1/\sqrt{a}$. They are orthonormal by sine orthogonality and complete by the Fourier sine series on an interval of length $2a$. Differentiating twice gives

For an incident particle from the left, take $E>0$ and $E>V_0$, and defineThe time-independent Schrödinger equation gives an incident plus reflected plane wave on the left and an outgoing transmitted plane wave on the right:Continuity of the wavefunction and its derivative at a finite potential jump yields $1+r=t$ and $k(1-r)=qt$. Hence $r=(k-q)/(k+q)$ and $t=2k/(k+q)$. The incident and reflected probability currents have equal wave-number magnitude, soAs a check, the transmitted current fraction is $(q/k)|t{|}^2=4kq/(k+q{)}^2$, and the two probabilities sum to one.

For a positive step, $E\downarrow V_0$ makes $q\downarrow 0$, so $P\to 1$. For a negative step with fixed positive incident energy, $V_0\to -\infty$ makes $q\to \infty$, so again $P\to 1$. The latter is quantum reflection from an increasingly large wave-number mismatch, even though the step is downward.

The differential scattering cross-section is scattered rate per unit solid angle divided by incident flux. For the outgoing scattering solution, the incident plane wave has current magnitude $\hslash k/m$, while the outgoing spherical wave has radial current $(\hslash k/m)|f(\hat{x}){|}^2/r^2$. ThereforeThe incoming plane-wave normalization and outgoing radiation condition select the physical scattering state.

The time-independent Schrödinger equation is $[-{\hslash }^2{\nabla }^2/(2m)+V]\psi =E\psi$, equivalently $({\nabla }^2+k^2)\psi =(2m/{\hslash }^2)V\psi$. The given outgoing Helmholtz fundamental solution has source $-4\pi \delta$. Multiplying it by the source and adding the incident homogeneous solution givesApplying ${\nabla }^2+k^2$ verifies its equation and sign. At large $r$, $|x-x^{\prime }|=r-\hat{x}\cdot x^{\prime }+O(r^{-1})$ and $|x-x^{\prime }{|}^{-1}=r^{-1}+O(r^{-2})$ over the potential's support. ConsequentlyThe Born approximation replaces $\psi (x^{\prime })$ by the incident wave, givingIt requires weak wave distortion. A sufficient smallness condition from the integral equation is $(m/2\pi {\hslash }^2){\sup }_x\int |V(x^{\prime })|/|x-x^{\prime }|d^3{x}^{\prime }\ll 1$; for a bounded potential of range $R$ this is of order $m|V_0|R^2/{\hslash }^2\ll 1$. At high energy a small accumulated phase and weak deflection can also justify the approximation, but small potential relative to energy alone is not sufficient for an arbitrarily long interaction range.

For the exponentially screened potential, angular integration in its Fourier transform givesIt is not compactly supported, but for $\mu >0$ its decay gives the same scattering asymptotics and convergent integrals. Since $q=2k\sin (\theta /2)$,Thus the Born amplitude in this limit is independent of $\hslash$ when expressed using $E$ and angle; its squared magnitude is the Rutherford cross-section. This is a fixed-nonzero-angle limit of the Born formula. It does not establish uniform validity in the forward direction or preserve the short-range outgoing-wave asymptotics for the unscreened Coulomb potential.

The time-independent Schrödinger equation is $[-{\hslash }^2{\nabla }^2/(2m)+V]\Psi =E\Psi$. For the hydrogen atom, separate variables as $\Psi =g(r)Y_{\ell m}(\theta ,\phi )$. The spherical-coordinate Laplacian has radial part $r^{-2}{\partial }_r(r^2{\partial }_r)$ and angular part $r^{-2}{\Delta }_{S^2}$. A spherical harmonic obeys ${\Delta }_{S^2}{Y}_{\ell m}=-\ell (\ell +1)Y_{\ell m}$. The first displayed term is therefore radial kinetic energy; the second is the attractive Coulomb's law potential energy $-e^2/(4\pi {\epsilon }_{0}r)$ of electron and proton; the third is the angular kinetic energy, also called the centrifugal potential. Regular single-valued angular states have $\boxed{\ell =0,1,2,\dots }$, with orbital angular momentum squared ${\hslash }^2\ell (\ell +1)$.

For $g=r^{\alpha }{e}^{-\beta r}$, direct differentiation givesSubstitution into the Radial Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom and equality of the coefficients of $r^{-2}$, $r^{-1}$ and the constant term giveThe regular radial solution selects $\alpha =\ell$, rather than the singular branch $-\ell -1$. At $\ell =0$, $r^{-1}$ is locally square integrable but is still inadmissible as a regular Coulomb eigenfunction: its Laplacian has a point-source contribution at the origin. Bound-state decay requires $\beta >0$. Thus, with the Bohr radius $a_0=4\pi {\epsilon }_0{\hslash }^2/(m{e}^2)$,These are the nodeless states with principal quantum number $n=\ell +1$. Increasing $\ell$ raises the energy towards zero, so emission is from the state labelled $\ell +1$ to the one labelled $\ell$. Using the Planck constant $h=2\pi \hslash$ and photon energy $h\nu$, the frequency is

The squared sine has integral $a$ over the interval of length $2a$, since it contains an integer number of half-wavelengths. A real positive phase convention therefore givesInside the infinite square well, the time-independent Schrödinger equation is $-{\hslash }^2{\psi }_n^{\prime \prime }/(2m)=E_n{\psi }_n$. The wavenumber is $\pi n/(2a)$, soThe stationary states vanish at both walls and form an orthonormal basis of the square-integrable state space. A common arbitrary phase on each basis function does not alter any energy or measurement probability.

For a bound state, $0<E<U_0$: the Hamiltonian operator is nonnegative, and an energy at or above the exterior potential does not give a nonzero normalizable wavefunction. The time-independent Schrödinger equation and the hard wall at zero therefore giveContinuity of the wavefunction and its derivative at the finite step gives $k\cot (ka)=-\kappa$. Put $z=ka$ and $z_0=a\sqrt{2m{U}_0}/\hslash$. The matching equation becomesIt requires $\cot z<0$, so solutions lie in the intervals $((j+1/2)\pi ,(j+1)\pi )$ for $j=0,1,\dots$. Squaring, with that sign restriction retained, gives $z_0=z/|\sin z|$. On each such interval this function increases strictly from $(j+1/2)\pi$ to infinity: its derivative is $(|\sin z|-z\mathrm{sgn}(\sin z)\cos z)/{\sin }^{2}z>0$, because the second term in the numerator is positive there. Each interval therefore contributes exactly one bound state if and only if $z_0>(j+1/2)\pi$. These are the bound-state thresholds for a square well with one hard wall.

Exactly one normalizable bound state exists if and only ifThe printed strict upper inequality misses the threshold case. At the upper endpoint, the prospective second state has $E=U_0$ and $\kappa =0$. Its exterior solution is constant or linear, hence is not square-integrable unless zero; the zero exterior solution and matching would force the entire solution to vanish. Thus there is still exactly one bound state at that endpoint. The strict upper inequality is valid if threshold values are additionally excluded, but that exclusion is not part of the stated assumptions.

A bound state has $E<0$ and $\kappa =\sqrt{-2mE}/\hslash >0$, since outside the delta potentials a square-integrable solution must decay exponentially. The wavefunction is continuous at each delta: a jump would produce a delta derivative in ${\psi }^{\prime \prime }$ with no matching term in the equation. Integrating the time-independent Schrödinger equation across either $x_0=\pm a$ givesThe symmetry of the symmetric double-delta potential permits even and odd solutions. Up to a nonzero normalization factor, the even candidate is $\cosh (\kappa x)$ for $|x|\le a$, and $\cosh (\kappa a)e^{-\kappa (|x|-a)}$ outside. Its derivative jump at $a$ givesThe odd candidate is $\sinh (\kappa x)$ inside and $\mathrm{sgn}(x)\sinh (\kappa a)e^{-\kappa (|x|-a)}$ outside. Its jump givesParity ensures the jump at $-a$ as well. Put $t=\kappa a$ and $L=2m\lambda a/{\hslash }^2$. The continuous strictly increasing function $t(1+\tanh t)$ ranges from $0$ to infinity, so there is exactly one even bound state for every $L>0$. The continuous strictly increasing function $t(1+\coth t)$ ranges from $1$ to infinity, so the odd bound state of a symmetric double-delta potential exists if and only if $L>1$. Strict increase follows from the allowed monotonicity facts plus the strictly increasing term $t$. ThereforeAt equality the odd limiting solution has $\kappa =0$ and is not square integrable, so it is not a bound state. No nonnegative energy can supply another full-line square-integrable state, since its exterior solutions are oscillatory or affine.

For the quantum harmonic oscillator, the time-independent Schrödinger equation iswith $m,\omega ,\hslash >0$. The given dimensionless coordinate yields ${\psi }_{\xi \xi }+(2E/(\hslash \omega )-{\xi }^2)\psi =0$. Substituting the Gaussian factor givesBy the supplied normalizability fact, $f$ is a nonzero polynomial. If its degree is $n$, comparison of the leading coefficient forces $2E/(\hslash \omega )-1=2n$. Conversely, at this value the coefficient recurrenceproduces a degree-$n$ polynomial with parity $n$: start with a nonzero constant for even $n$ or a nonzero linear coefficient for odd $n$, and the recurrence terminates at degree $n$. This is a multiple of the Hermite polynomial. Its product with the Gaussian is square integrable and can be normalized. Therefore all and only the allowed energies are

For a finite potential energy discontinuity, the stationary state $\psi$ and its first derivative are continuous at $a$. Integrating the time-independent Schrödinger equation across a shrinking interval about $a$ gives continuity of ${\psi }^{\prime }$; a jump in $\psi$ would produce a distributional derivative incompatible with a finite potential energy.

For $E>V_0$, put $k=\sqrt{2mE}/\hslash$, $q=\sqrt{2m(E-V_0)}/\hslash$ and use unit incident amplitude:There is no wave incident from the right. The matching equations $1+r=t$, $k(1-r)=qt$ give $r=(k-q)/(k+q)$ and $t=2k/(k+q)$. Comparing reflected and incident probability currents gives the reflection coefficientThe transmitted fraction is $T=(q/k)|t{|}^2=4kq/(k+q{)}^2$, so $R+T=1$.

For $0<E<V_0$, write $\kappa =\sqrt{2m(V_0-E)}/\hslash$ and retain only the decaying right-hand solution $t{e}^{-\kappa (x-a)}$. Matching gives $r=(k-i\kappa )/(k+i\kappa )$, which has modulus one. The evanescent wave carries no transmitted probability current. At $E=V_0$, the bounded right-hand solution is constant and matching again gives $r=1$. ThusClassically, a particle is wholly transmitted for $E>V_0$ and wholly reflected for $E<V_0$; there is no classical partial reflection above the step. At the threshold it has zero right-hand speed and no transmitted flux, a marginal case requiring a convention about motion exactly on the discontinuity. The quantum result approaches $R=0$ as $E/V_0\to \infty$.

In atomic units the time-independent Schrödinger equation isThe displayed equation is the Radial Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom. Its radial derivative terms come from the Laplacian in spherical coordinates, the Coulomb term is the potential $-1/r$, and separation into spherical harmonics uses the orbital angular momentum eigenvalue $l(l+1)$, producing the centrifugal term $-l(l+1)R/r^2$.

For $E=-1/(2n^2)$, substitute $R=r^{\alpha }{e}^{-r/n}$. Dividing the equation by $R$ and comparing powers of $r$ givesThe solution regular at the origin has $\alpha =l$, and when $l=n-1$ both equations agree. This is the circular Coulomb bound state. ThusThe radial probability measure is $|R(r){|}^2{r}^{2}dr$. With $a=2/n$ and the gamma integral, the mean radius of a circular Coulomb bound state is

At fixed principal quantum number $n$, the allowed orbital angular momentum quantum numbers are $l=0,\dots ,n-1$, and each has magnetic quantum number $m=-l,\dots ,l$. Hence the orbital quantum degeneracy isIncluding electron spin would double this to $2n^2$, but spin is absent from the stated wavefunctions.

For a normalized wavefunction obeying the infinite-wall Dirichlet boundary condition, integration by parts gives the energy expectationThus every energy eigenvalue is nonnegative.

For $0<E<U_0$, the time-independent Schrödinger equation and the wall conditions givewhere $k=\sqrt{2mE}/\hslash$ and $l=\sqrt{2m(U_0-E)}/\hslash$. Continuity of $\psi$ and ${\psi }^{\prime }$ at the finite potential step givesDividing and rearranging yields the bound-state quantization condition

PutThe time-independent Schrödinger equation has the formsThe first region contains the incident and reflected waves, while the final region contains only the transmitted wave.

Continuity of $\psi$ and ${\psi }^{\prime }$ at both edges of the finite square well gives the standard transmission coefficientWhen $V_0=3E$, one has $K=2k$, and thereforeHence the transmission probability is

The time-independent Schrödinger equation isPut $\alpha =m\omega /\hslash$. For $\psi =e^{-\alpha x^2/2}$, differentiation gives ${\psi }^{\prime \prime }=({\alpha }^2{x}^2-\alpha )\psi$. Substitution cancels the terms in $x^2$ and leaves $E_0={\hslash }^2\alpha /(2m)=\hslash \omega /2$.

The Gaussian integral gives $\int e^{-\alpha x^2}dx=\sqrt{\pi /\alpha }$. Hence a normalized wave function isMultiplication by any constant of modulus one gives the same quantum state. The position probability density is $|{\psi }_0{|}^2=\sqrt{\alpha /\pi }{e}^{-\alpha x^2}$. Its first moment vanishes by oddness. Integration by parts gives $\int x^2{e}^{-\alpha x^2}dx=(2\alpha {)}^{-1}\int e^{-\alpha x^2}dx$, with the boundary term zero. Therefore

The one-dimensional time-independent Schrödinger equation isFor the infinite square well on $[0,a]$, $V=0$ inside and the wave function is zero outside. The boundary conditions are $\psi (0)=\psi (a)=0$. For positive integer $n$, ${\psi }_n=A\sin (n\pi x/a)$ satisfies them, and ${\psi }_n^{\prime \prime }=-(n\pi /a{)}^2{\psi }_n$. Substitution gives the energy levelsNormalization requires $1={\int }_0^a|{\psi }_n{|}^{2}dx=A^{2}a/2$. The requested real positive constant is therefore

The interior time-independent Schrödinger equation for a free particle isConfinement by the rectangular infinite well imposes Dirichlet boundary conditions: $\psi =0$ at $x=0,b$ and $y=0,\sqrt{5}b$. The wave function is square-integrable and may be normalized to unit probability on the rectangle.

Separation of variables gives products of the one-dimensional well states,The Hamiltonian is the sum of the independent $x$ and $y$ kinetic-energy operators, so the one-dimensional energies add. Put $C={\pi }^2{\hslash }^2/(2m{b}^2)$. ThenFor $n=1$, increasing $\ell$ gives $6C/5,9C/5,14C/5,21C/5$. The smallest energy with $n\ge 2$ is also $21C/5$, attained at $(2,1)$; all $n\ge 3$ give larger energies. Thus the ground and first three distinct excited energy levels areThe largest listed energy therefore has energy-level degeneracy $\boxed{2}$, since the two product eigenfunctions are linearly independent and no other pair solves $5n^2+{\ell }^2=21$.

Put $\kappa =e^2/(4\pi {ϵ}_0)$. Substitution of $\psi =R(r)\Phi (\varphi )$ into the time-independent Schrödinger equation, followed by division by $R\Phi$ and multiplication by $r^2$, separates the angular dependence:Thus $\Phi =e^{im\varphi }/\sqrt{2\pi }$ andThe single-valued wavefunction condition, $\Phi (\varphi +2\pi )=\Phi (\varphi )$, requires $m\in \mathbb{Z}$. The regular boundary condition at the origin selects $R\sim r^{|m|}$. Accordingly use $s=|m|$ in the radial ansatz; the printed $x^m$ notation describes the $m\ge 0$ representatives.

For the two-dimensional Coulomb bound state, substitution of $R=x^s{e}^{-x/2}G$ with the stipulated radial and energy scales givesThe coefficient of $x^n$ in the power series isThe regular solution otherwise has an exponentially growing contribution at large $x$, incompatible with being normalizable. Termination at degree $n_r\ge 0$ therefore requiresThe resulting $G$ is proportional to a Generalized Laguerre polynomial.

Define $R_{\mathrm{y}}=\mu {\kappa }^2/(2{\hslash }^2)$, the hydrogenic Rydberg energy for the stipulated mass. The first three distinct two-dimensional energies are $-4R_{\mathrm{y}},-4R_{\mathrm{y}}/9,-4R_{\mathrm{y}}/25$, whereas in three dimensions they are $-R_{\mathrm{y}},-R_{\mathrm{y}}/4,-R_{\mathrm{y}}/9$. Both series approach zero from below, but the planar ground state is four times more tightly bound. Without spin the respective quantum degeneracies are $1,3,5$ and $1,4,9$; if individual degenerate states are counted, the second and third planar states already share the first excited energy. This comparison retains the supplied $1/r$ interaction; it does not replace it by the logarithmic electrostatic potential of a genuinely two-dimensional electromagnetic theory.