Given that the eigenstates of the position operator can be written as δ(x−x′), and suppose we measure a particle in an infinite potential with walls at x=0 and x=L. I measure the particle to be in the position x=L/2, so the particle is in the eigenstate |x⟩=δ(x−L/2). Suppose now that I want to measure the energy of the particle. The eigenstates of the energy operator are given by:
|ψn⟩=√2Lsin(nπxL)
In order to measure energy I understand that I have to expand the original eigenstate in terms of the new energy eigenstates: |x⟩=∑|ψn⟩⟨ψn|x⟩
Pn=|⟨ψn|x⟩|2
But now I sort of run into an issue. Sure then, I can say that: ⟨ψn|x⟩=∫√2Lsin(nπxL)δ(x−L/2)dx
∫δ(x−x′)f(x)dx=f(x′)
⟨ψn|x⟩=√2Lsin(nπ2)
I know that this means that all odd values of n are equally probably and all even values are not possible, but probability is supposed to be dimensionless, so what's happened here? What rookie error have I made?
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