Wednesday 17 July 2019

quantum mechanics - Can we impose a boundary condition on the derivative of the wavefunction through the physical assumptions?


Consider the Schrödinger equation for a particle in one dimension, where we have at least one boundary in the system (say the boundary is at $x=0$ and we are solving for $x>0$). Sometimes we want to impose a boundary condition in which the wavefunction vanishes (Dirichlet boundary condition).



We can indirectly impose this boundary condition through the physical assumptions by using an infinite potential outside the relevant region (like in the "particle in a box" model): $$ V(x<0)=\infty ~~~~\Longrightarrow ~~~~\psi(x=0)=0 $$ What if we want to impose a boundary condition in which the derivative of the wavefunction vanishes (Neumann boundary condition)? $$ ? ~~~~\Longrightarrow ~~~~ \left. \frac{\partial \psi}{\partial x} \right|_{x=0} = 0 $$ Is there a way to choose the potential, or maybe change something else in the Hamiltonian, in order to indirectly impose this boundary condition?


P.S. This question is not of great practical importance, it is more of a curiosity.




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