22.101 Applied Nuclear Physics: Fall Term 2009

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Fall Term 2009

22.101 Applied Nuclear Physics


Problem Set #2
Prof. Yildiz

Posted: September 23, 2009 Due: September 30, 2009

1. Reflection and Transmission:

(a) For the potential V (x) shown in the figure below, find the reflection and trans-
mission coefficients, T and R, at x = 0 for a particle of mass m and energy E
incident on the barrier from the left.
(b) If the particle’s energy is E = V0 /8, what is the probability that the particle will
reflect back from the hill?
(c) How does this compare to the classical picture?

2. Qualitative Behavior of Wavefunctions:


For the following potentials, sketch the qualitative behavior of the wavefunction rep-
resenting a particle flux with energy E1 and E2 .

1
For the first potential, assume the particles are coming from the right, and for the sec-
ond, assume they are coming from the left. Assume that steady-state has been reached,
so transmission and reflection will be included in the amplitude of your wavefunction.
You need to accurately capture the amplitude, wavelength, and whether or not the
wavefunction is in a forbidden region.

3. Bound States:
For the finite square well potential discussed in lecture, find the minimum well depth,

2
V0 , required for the existence of a second bound state. Consider only the odd parity
solutions, and leave your answer it terms of mass, m, and width of the well, a.
4. Even Parity Solutions:
Consider the weakly bound even parity states that occur in the finite square well
problem when the dimensionless potential strength parameter,
2ma2
Λ≡ V0
~2
is very small, Λ << 1. Solve approximately for the energy eigenstates in this situation,
sketch them as a function of x, and compute the probability that the particle is found
inside the well upon taking a measurement.
5. Parity:
The parity operator flips the sign of the spatial coordinates. This can be formalized
by defining the parity operator (in one dimension), P̂ ,

P̂ f (x) = f (−x)

(a) Now consider a free particle in one dimension with Hamiltonian, Ĥ = p̂2 /2m.
There is a set of eigenfunctions common to both energy and parity. Starting from
the two independent energy eigenfunctions,

φ1 (x) = eikx

φ2 (x) = e−ikx
prove that there exist two linear combinations of φ1 and φ2 ,

ψ1 = T11 φ1 + T12 φ2

ψ2 = T21 φ1 + T22 φ2
such that ψ1 and ψ2 are common eigenfunctions to both energy and parity. State
all the eigenvalues for both operators.
(b) Since the parity and energy operators share common eigenfunctions, what can
you say about the uncertainty relation between P and E? (Hint: consider taking
a measurement of one observable and what that measurement will tell you about
the value of the other observable.)
6. Uncertainty Relations:

(a) Compute ∆x∆p for the wavefunction


−x2
 
ψ(x) = A exp
2a2

3
(b) Discuss what the uncertainty relation ∆x∆p ≥ ~/2 means for the relationship
between position and momentum. What does your result from (a) tell you about
ψ(x)?

7. Evolution of a Particle in a box


For the infinite square well potential, recall that the solution to the eigenvalue problem
Hw
b n (x) = En wn (x) is
r
2  nπx 
wn (x) = sin
L L
with corresponding eigenenergies

~2 π 2 n2
En =
2mL2
Suppose the wavefunction in this potential is initially

3 1
ψ(x, 0) = w1 (x) + w2 (x)
2 2
(a) Find ψ(x, t)
(b) Find hxi as a function of time.
(c) Find hEi as a function of time. Interpret this result.

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