PHYS852 Quantum Mechanics II, Spring 2010

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 10

Topics covered: Green’s function, Lippman-Schwinger Eq., T-matrix, Born Series.

1. T-matrix approach to one-dimensional scattering: In this problem, you will use the Lippman-
Schwinger equation
|ψi = |ψ0 i + GV |ψi, (1)
to solve the one-dimensional problem of tunneling through delta potentials. Take ψ0 (z) = eikz , and
let
V (z) = gδ(z) + gδ(z − L). (2)

(a) Express Eq. (1) as an integral equation for ψ(z), and then use the delta-functions to perform
the integral. It might be helpful to introduce the dimensionless parameter α = ~M2 kg . To solve
for the two unknown constants, generate two equations by evaluating your solution at z = 0,
and z = L.
Hit with a hz| from the left, and insert I = dz ′ |z ′ ihz ′ | after the G to get the integral equation
R

Z
ψ(z) = ψ0 (z) + dz ′ G0 (z, z ′ )V (z ′ )ψ(z ′ ). (3)

Use V (z ′ ) = gδ(z ′ ) + gδ(z ′ − L) to handle the integrals, giving:

ψ(z) = ψ0 (z) + gG0 (z, 0)ψ(0) + gG0 (z, L)ψ(L). (4)

To find the unknowns, ψ(0) and ψ(L), we set first z = 0, and then z = L, giving

ψ(0) = ψ0 (0) + gG0 (0, 0)ψ(0) + gG0 (0, L)ψ(L) (5)

ψ(L) = ψ0 (L) + gG0 (L, 0)ψ(0) + gG0 (L, L)ψ(L) (6)

Solving simultaneously for ψ(0) and ψ(L) and taking G0 (z, z ′ ) → G0 (|z − z ′ |) gives

1 + iα(1 − ei2kL )
ψ(0) = (7)
1 + 2iα − α2 (1 − ei2kL )
eikL
ψ(L) = (8)
1 + 2iα − α2 (1 − ei2kL )
This gives as the solution:

eik(L+|z−L| + eik|z| 1 + iα(1 − ei2kL )

ikz
ψ(z) = e − iα . (9)
1 + 2iα − α2 (1 − ei2kL )

(b) Compute the transmission probability T = |t|2 , with t defined via

lim ψ(z) = teikz . (10)

z→∞

For z > L, this becomes

ψ(z) = teikz (11)

1
 where
1
t= (12)
1 + 2iα − α2 (1 − ei2kL )
So that the transmission probability is
1
T = |t|2 = 2 (13)
(1 − 2α2 sin (kL))2 + 4α2 (1 + α cos(kL) sin(kL))2

(c) In the strong-scatterer limit α ≫ 1, at what k-values is the transmission maximized?

In the limit α ≫ 1, we can keep only the α4 term in the denominator, giving
1
T = (14)
4α2 sin2 (kL)

which blows up at k = nπ/L, where n is any integer.

(d) Consider an infinite square-well of length L. What are the k-values for each bound-state? How
do these compare with the transmission resonances in the strong-scatterer limit?
The bound states correspond to k = nπ/L, which matches the transmission resonances of the
double-delta potential.

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2. The first Born-approximation: In the first Born-approximation, find the scattering amplitude,
f (θ, φ|k), for a Gaussian scattering potential,
2.
V (r) = V0 e(−r/r0 ) (15)
dσ
Still within the first Born-approximation, what is the differential cross-section, dΩ , and total cross-
section, σtot ? First try the integral in spherical coordinates, then when you reach the peak of
frustration, try switching to Cartesian coordinates.
In the first-Born approximation, we have
2
(2π) M ~ ′ ~
f (~k′ , ~k) = − hk |V |ki
~2

Z
h~k′ |V |~ki = d3 r h~k′ |~riV (~r)h~r|~ki
1
Z
~ ~′ 2
= d3 rei(k−k )·~r V0 e−(r/r0 )
(2π)3
Z ∞ “ ”2 Z ∞ “ ”2 Z ∞ “ ”2
V0 ikx′ x− rx iky′ y− ry i(kz′ −k)z− rz
= dxe 0 dye 0 dze 0
(2π)3 −∞ −∞ −∞
V0 3 − 1 ((~k′ −~k)2 r02 )
= r e 4
8π 3/2 0

Now (~k′ − ~k)2 = (~k′ − k~ez ) · (~k′ − k~ez ) = k′2 − 2kz′ k + k2 .

With k′ = k and kz′ = k cos θ, this gives
√
πV0 M r02 k2
f (θ|k) = − 2
r0 e− 2 (1−cos θ)
2~
The differential cross section is then
dσ πV02 M 2 r04 2 −k2 r02 (1−cos θ)
= |f (θ|k)|2 = r0 e
dΩ 4~4
The total cross section is then
dσ
Z
σtot = dΩ
dΩ
Z 2π ∞
πV 2 M 2 r 4
Z
2 2
= dφ d(cos θ) 0 4 0 r02 e−k r0 (1−cos θ)
0 0 4~
2 2 2 4 Z 1
π V0 M r0 2 2 2
= 4
r0 du e−k r0 (1−u)
2~ −1
2 r2
π 2 V02 M 2 r04 2 1 − e−2k 0
= r0
2~4 k2 r02

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3. The Huang-Fermi pseudopotential: First, try to compute the T-matrix in three dimensions for
a three-dimensional delta-function scatter, V (~r) = gδ3 (~r). What happens?
A workable zero-range potential in three-dimensions is called the Huang-Fermi pseudo-potential,
VHF , defined via
h~r|VHF |ψi = gδ3 (~r)ψreg (~r), (16)
where
d
ψreg (~r) =
r ψ(~r). (17)
dr
This potential is also referred to as a “regularized delta-function”.
(a) By expanding ψ(~r) in powers of r, starting with r −1 , show that the effect of the regularization
d
operator, dr r is to remove the 1/r term in the expansion. Thus ψreg (~r), is always non-singular
at r = 0.
1
ψ(~r) = c−1 (θ, φ) + c0 (θ, φ) + c1 (θ, φ)r + . . . , (18)
r
Then we have
d d 
c−1 (θ, φ) + c0 (θ, φ)r + c1 (θ, φ)r 2 + . . .

rψ(~r) =
dr dr
= c0 (θ, φ) + 2c1 (θ, φ)r + . . . (19)

so we see that the singular term has been removed. Thus ψreg (~r) is non-singular at r = 0. In
fact, we can use the sifting property of the delta function to give

h~r|VHF |ψi = δ3 (~r)ψreg (0) (20)

(b) Compute the T-matrix for VHF , using the regularization property to solve the singularity prob-
lem encountered with the simple delta-function.
We start from the Born-series expansion

T = V + V G0 V + V G0 V G0 V + . . . (21)

d
Z
h~r|T |ψi = 3 2 3
gδ (~r)ψreg (0) + g δ (~r) r d3 r ′ G0 (~r, ~r′ )δ3 (~r′ )ψreg (0)
dr
d d
Z
+ g3 δ3 (~r) r d3 r ′ d3 r ′′ G0 (~r, ~r′ )δ3 (~r′ ) ′ r ′ G0 (~r′ , ~r′′ )δ3 (~r′′ )ψreg (0) + . . .
dr dr
 
d 2 d ′ 3 ′ d ′
Z
3 3 ′ ′
= gδ (~r)ψreg (0) 1 + g rG0 (~r, 0) + g r d r G0 (~r, ~r )δ (~r ) ′ r G0 (~r , 0) + . . .
dr dr dr
 
3 2 d
= gδ (~r)ψreg (0) 1 + gG0,reg (0, 0) + g rG0 (~r, 0)G0,reg (0, 0) + . . .
dr
gδ3 (~r)ψreg (0) 1 + gG0,reg (0, 0) + g2 G20,reg (0, 0) + . . .
 
=
gδ3 (~r)
= ψreg (0) (22)
1 − gG0,reg (0, 0)
Expanding G(~r, 0) in powers of r gives
k2
 
M 1
G0 (~r, 0) = − + ik − r + . . . (23)
2π~2 r 2

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 so that
G0,reg (0, 0) = −ika (24)
where
Mg
a= (25)
2π~2
so that finally, we have
VHF
T = (26)
1 + ika
where
g
g′ = (27)
1 + ika
is called the ‘re-normalized coupling constant’.
dσ
(c) Use your answer to part (b) to compute the differential cross-section, dΩ , as well as the total
cross-section, σtot , for the Huang-Fermi pseudo-potential.
The Fourier transform of T is then
1
Z
~ ′ ~ ~′ ′ ~
T (k , k) = 3
d3 r ′ d3 r e−ik ·~r T (~r′ , ~r)eik·~r
(2π)
g
= 3
(2π) (1 + ika)
2M
from f (~k′ , ~k) = − (2π)
~2
T (~k′ , ~k), we find

(2π)2 M g
f (~k′ , ~k) = − 2 3
~ (2π) (1 + ika)
a
= −
1 + ika
The differential cross-section is then
dσ a2
=
dΩ 1 + (ka)2

As this doesn’t depend on θ or φ, we have simply

4πa2
σtot =
1 + (ka)2