1

Physics 316 Solution for homework 11 Spring 2005

Cornell University
I. EXERCISE 1
A.
Consider the two dimensional wave equation for the vibration of a rectangular membrane,

2
z
x
2
+

2
z
y
2
=
1
v
2

2
z
t
2
. (1.1)
The membrane has a boundary at x = 0, y = 0 and x = Lx, y = Ly at which it does not oscillate, i.e. z = 0. Show
that
z = Asin(kxx) sin(kyy) cos(t) (1.2)
can be a solution for specic kx, ky, and .
To verify that the given form of z can be a solution, we substitute it into the given wave equation. After canceling
common terms, we nd that z is a solution if
k
2
x
+k
2
y
=

2
v
2
. (1.3)
The constraints from the fact that z = 0 on all the boundaries imply that kx =
nx
Lx
and ky =
ny
Ly
, with nx, ny = 1, 2, ....
This leads to a constraint on :
nx,ny
= v

n
2
x
L
2
x
+
n
2
y
L
2
y
. (1.4)
B.
Show for Lx = Ly that there can be dierent solutions z(x, y, t) for the same frequency . This is called degeneracy.
For Lx = Ly = L, we can rewrite nx,ny
as
nx,ny
=
v
L
_
n
2
x
+n
2
y
. (1.5)
We can see that ab = ba, but the corresponding z(x, y, t) are dierent:
zab = Asin
_
a
L
x
_
sin
_
b
L
y
_
cos(t)
zba = Asin
_
b
L
x
_
sin
_
a
L
y
_
cos(t) (1.6)
II. EXERCISE 2
Show that the spherical nite well potential, V (r) = V0H(r R) with H(x) = if(x> 0, 1, 0), does not have a
spherically symmetric bound state if V0 <
h
2

2
8mR
2 .
We consider the spherical nite potential well V (r) = V0H(r R). In general, spherically symmetric states are
found with the radial part of the Schr odinger equation,

h
2
2m
u

(r) +V (r)u(r) = Eu(r), (2.1)

2
the actual wavefunction being given by (r) =
u(r)
r
. We can solve (2.1) in the two domains r < R and r > R
independantly and then make sure that u(r) and its rst derivative are continuous at r = R:

h
2
2m
u

1
(r) = Eu1(r) (2.2)

h
2
2m
u

2
(r) = (V0 E)u2(r). (2.3)
Both solutions are already known:
u1(r) = A1 sin(k1r) +B1 cos(k1r) (2.4)
u2(r) = A2e
k2r
+B2e
k2r
, (2.5)
with k1 =

2mE/ h and k2 =
_
2m(V0 E)/ h. In order to have
u1(r)
r
well dened at the origin, we must have
u1(0) = 0, that is B1 = 0. Since we want to be normalizable, we also need to put A2 = 0.
We now apply the continuity conditions:
u1(R) = u2(R) A1 sin(k1R) = B2e
k2R
(2.6)
u

1
(R) = u

2
(R) k1A1 cos(k1R) = k2B2e
k2R
. (2.7)
Therefore, dividing (2.7) by (2.6), one gets
k1 cot(k1R) = k2. (2.8)
0 2 3
1
A B
C
k R
1
FIG. 1: Graphical solution of equation (2.10) for three dierent values of kV . A: kV R <

2
(too small for any possible solution
for k1R). B: kV R =

2
; this is the limiting value in order to get a solution. C: kV >

2
; At least one solution is possible (in
this example there are exactly three).
k2 can be dened as
_
k
2
V
k
2
1
, where kV =

2mV0/ h. The condition then becomes

k1
_
k
2
V
k
2
1
= tan(k1R). (2.9)
Since the left-hand side of this equation is always positive, we know that k1R can be a solution only if tan k1R is
negative, that is, in the ranges [

2
, ], [
3
2
, 2], ... Moreover, assuming that k1 and
_
k
2
V
k
2
1
are the sides of a right
triangle with hypotenuse kV , we can transform (2.9) into:
k1R
kV R
= | sin(k1R)|, k1R
_
(2n 1)
2
, n
_
, n = 1, 2, 3, . (2.10)
Figure 1 summarizes our results. From the gure, we conclude that there is no solution if
1
kV R
>
2

, that is,
V0 <
h
2

2
8mR
2
. (2.11)
3
It is worth pointing out that you could have obtained this result from previous calculations for the symmetric one-
dimensional square well. The mathematics is almost the same, except that here we ask that u(0) = 0. By working out
the details, you can show that this means our solutions here are the antisymmetric solutions from that problem. The
branches of gure 1 are the branches of the antisymmetric solutions of the square well. While the one dimensional
square well always has a bound ground state, which is symmetric, it does not always have the rst antisymmetric
state. Therefore the spherical potential well does not always have a bound state.
III. EXERCISE 3
Derive a formula for the curl in spherical coordinates in the form

f(r, , ) = A(r, , )er +B(r, , )e +C(r, , )e , (3.1)
using the arguments with which

2
(r, , ) was derived in class.
We search for an expression for the curl

f expressed in spherical coordinates. To do so, we need the denition
of the gradient operator :

= err +e
1
r
+e
1
r sin
, (3.2)
and the derivatives of the basis vectors:
rer = 0 re = 0 re = 0
er = e e = er e = 0
er = sine e = cos e e = cos e siner
(3.3)
In this problem, we use the notation x to represent the partial derive operator

x
.
Using the usual cross product relations between the basis vectors (er er = 0, er e = e, ...), we can now
compute the curl of

f.

f = er r

f +e
1
r

f +e
1
r sin

f.
= er (errfr +erf +erf) +e
1
r
(erfr +efr +ef erf +ef)
+e
1
r sin
(erfr +e sin fr +ef +e cos f +ef (e cos +er sin)f)
= (erf erf) +
1
r
(efr +ef +erf)
+
1
r sin
(efr erf +er cos f e sin f).
Writing this result in the form Aer +Be +Ce, we get:
A =
1
r sin
[(f sin ) f] , (3.4)
B =
1
r
_
1
sin
fr r(rf)
_
, (3.5)
C =
1
r
[r(rf) fr] . (3.6)
IV. EXERCISE 4
Calculate the probability that the electron in the ground state of hydrogen, which is spherically symmetric, is in
the classically forbidden region, where E < V (r). Does this probability increase or decrease for the two spherical
symmetric states of higher energy? What is the probability of the electron being within the radius of the nucleus,
assuming it has a radius of 1fm?
4
The ground state of the hydrogen atom, 0(r), is
0(r) =
1

a
3/2
0
e

r
a0 . (4.1)
The classically forbidden region (E0 < V (r)) can be described by the set of points such that r > r0, r0 being dened
by E0 = V (r0). Since E0 =
e
2
2a0
and V (r) =
e
2
r
, we get r0 = 2a0. We are now all set to compute the probability of
nding the electron at a distance larger than 2a0:
P0(r > 2a0) = 4
_

2a0
|0|
2
r
2
dr
=
4
a
3
0
_

2a0
e
2r
a0 r
2
dr
=
1
2
_

4
e
u
u
2
du with u =
2r
a0
= 13e
4
0.2381. (4.2)
We nd as easily the probability that the electron is in the nucleus, of radius rn 10 fm 2 10
5
a0. We get
P0(r < rn) 1 10
14
.
Lets now check the probability the electron is in the classical forbidden region in the rst and second excited states.
We have
E1 =
e
2
8a0
, E2 =
e
2
18a0
r1 = 8a0, r2 = 18a0,
and the normalized wavefunctions are:
1(x) =
1
4

2a
3/2
0
_
2
r
a0
_
e

r
2a0 , 2(x) =
1
81

3a
3/2
0
_
27
18r
a0
+
2r
2
a
2
0
_
e

r
3a0 .
After we do the integration, we get P1(r > 8a0) = 553e
8
0.1855 and P2(r > 18a0) = 26005e
12
0.1598. Since
the potential in the classically forbidden region becomes shallower and therefore the exponential fallo of the wave
function becomes slower, this increase of the computed probability could have been expected.
V. EXERCISE 5
A.
Since the electron has charge e, an electron probability density

corresponds to a charge density (x) = e

.
Find the electric charge Q(r) inside a sphere with radius r around the Hydrogen nucleus, which has charge +e.
The charge density due to the electron in the ground state is (x) = e0

0
:
(r) =
e
a
3
0
e

r
2a0 . (5.1)
The charge enclosed in a sphere of radius R is the integral of this density over the volume of this sphere plus the
positive charge of the proton:
Q(R) = e + 4
_
R
0
(r)
= e
4e
a
3
0
_
R
0
e

r
2a0 r
2
dr
= e
e
2
_
2R/a0
0
u
2
e
u
du
= e
e
2
_
2 (u
2
+ 2u + 2)e
u

u=2R/a0
u=0
(by parts)
= e
_
2R
2
a
2
0
+
2R
a0
+ 1
_
e

2R
a0 . (5.2)
5
B.
Find the corresponding potential V (r) and the electric eld

E(r).
We can nd easily the corresponding electric eld

E(x) using Gausss law:
_

E da =
Qin
0
. (5.3)
Since the charge distribution is spherically symmetric, so will be the electric eld and the potential. Hence, the surface
integral reduces to the eld times the surface of the sphere. The electric eld is therefore given by

E(r) =
e
40r
2
_
2r
2
a
2
0
+
2r
a0
+ 1
_
e

2r
a0 er. (5.4)
The potential can equally well be obtained using wether
d
dr
V (r) = E(r) or the Laplace equation,
2
V =

0
. Both
calculations have their little mathematical complications, so lets show how to solve them both.

d
dr
V (r) = E(r). Setting V (r) 0 when r , we get
_
0
V (r)
dV =
_

r
E(r)dr
V (r) =
e
40
_

r
1
r
2
_
2r
2
a
2
0
+
2r
a0
+ 1
_
e

2r
a0 dr
=
e
40
2
a0
_

2r
a0
_
1
u
2
+
1
u
+
1
2
_
e
u
du
=
e
20a0
_
_

2r
a0
_
1
u
2
+
1
u
_
e
u
du +
1
2
e

2r
a0
_
(5.5)
The remaining integral can be done easily when one notice that
d
dx
_
e
x
x
_
=
_
1
x
2
+
1
x
_
e
x
.
Then, we get
V (r) =
e
20a0
_
1
2
e

2r
a0 +
a0
2r
e

2r
a0
_
=
e
40a0
_
1 +
a0
r
_
e

2r
a0 . (5.6)

2
V =

0
. Here, we have to be careful with the denition of since one has to include the charge density due
to the central proton. The simpler way to express that is to write V (r) = V+(r) + V(r), with V+(r) =
e
40r
and

2
V(r) =
1
r
d
2
dr
2
rV(r) =
e
0a
3
0
e

2r
a0 . (5.7)
The solutions of this linear inhomogeneous second order dierential equation is the sum of the homogeneous
and the special solutions. The homogeneous solution is easily found simply by observation of (5.7): substituting
V(r) =
A
r
+ B yields zero on the left-hand side of this equation. The special solution is found assuming
rV(r) = f(r)e

2r
a0 . Then, we get
f

4
a0
f

+
4
a
2
0
f =
e
0a
3
0
r, (5.8)
which solution is
f(r) =
e
40a0
(r +a0). (5.9)
6
Hence, the general solutions has the form
V(r) =
A
r
+B +
e
40a0
(1 +
a0
r
)e

2r
a0 . (5.10)
A and B are determined by the fact that the atom is neutral, that is V(r ) 0 much faster than r
1
.
This means that B = 0 and
A
r
cancels exactly V+(r):
V (r) =
e
40a0
_
1 +
a0
r
_
e

2r
a0 . (5.11)