Universidad de El Salvador

Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matematica Quantum mechanics II

Escuela de Fsica I, Year 2017

Discussion 5
Quantum Mechanics II
WKB Method.
Kevin Giovanni Hernandez Beltran
HB13003
May 22, 2017

1. An illuminating alternative derivation of the WKB formula is based on an expansion in powers of h.

Motivated by the free particle wave function, ( x ) = Aexp(ipx/h), we write:

( x ) = ei f ( x)/h (1)

Where f ( x ) is some complex function.

(a) Put 1 into:

p2
00 =
h2
And show that:

2
ih f 00 f 0 + p2 = 0 (2)

(b) Suposse f ( x ) as a power series in h:

f (x) = hn f n (x)
0

And, collecting like powers of h, show that:

2
f 00 = p2 , i f 000 = 2 f 00 f 10 ... and so on (3)

(c) Solve for f 00 ( x ) and f 10 ( x ), and show that, to first order in h, you recovered the WKB formula.

2. From: Z a
p( x )dx = nh (4)
0
Suppose a infinite square well, in the range 0 < x < a, find the energy for this system.

3. A proton of energy E is incident from the right on a nucleus of charge Ze. Estimate the transmission
coefficient associated with the penetration of the proton inside the nucleus.
R 1 q1
Hint: 0 x 1dx = /2

4. Estimate the approximate value of the ground state energy of a particle of mass m moving in the potential
V ( x ) = v0 | x |, where V0 > 0. Use the WKB approximation.

5. From:
( L)( L)
T= (5)
(0) (0)
And:
R
( x ) = (0)ei[ k ( x )dx +C1 ]
(6)

1
Universidad de El Salvador
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matematica Quantum mechanics II
Escuela de Fsica I, Year 2017

Figure 1: This scheme represents the tunneling system for the problem 5

Using the figure 1, and assume the slowly variation of V ( x ). Show that:
r 
2m(U E)
2 L
h2
T=e (7)

6. Write the validity condition of the WKB method for the Quantum harmonic oscillator.

7. The WKB approximation can be good both in the region E > V ( x ) and the region E < V ( x ) but cannot be
good in between the regions close to the classical turning point E = V ( xc). In order to utilize the WKB
approximation to work out wave functions, we need to somehow overcome this limitation. The common
method is to approximate the potential around the classical turning point xc by a linear one:

V ( x ) = V ( xc ) + V 0 ( xc )( x xc ) + O( x xC )2 , (8)

Ignore the second order term. By definition V ( xc) = E, using:

 1/3
2m dV
u= ( xc ) ( x xc ) (9)
h2 dx
Show that:
d2
 
u =0 (10)
du2