Between the classical turning points, , while boundedness selects exponentially decaying WKB approximation solutions in the forbidden regions and . The Airy turning-point connection formula at the left turning point matches the left decaying solution to
in the allowed region. Matching the right decaying solution across gives
For these expressions to be proportional throughout , their phases must be compatible. Each simple turning point contributes a phase shift , giving the two-turning-point WKB quantization condition
The endpoints are the two classical turning points, determined by . Since the potential is even, they are symmetric. For , they lie in the linear part of the potential and satisfy ; for , they lie in the outer part and satisfy . Hence
The two-turning-point WKB quantization condition uses
Semiclassical action integral Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
The semiclassical action integral
is strictly increasing for a confining one-dimensional potential. Consequently the two-turning-point WKB quantization condition has at most one energy at each quantum number.