A convergent iterative solution of the quantum double-well potential (Q5956414)

The authors look at the lowest even and odd eigenstate \(\psi_{ev}\) and \(\psi_{od}\) of the one-dimensional Hamiltonian with a quartic double-well potential. In order to obtain successive approximations to \(\psi_{ev}\) and \(\psi_{od}\), a modified potential is introduced and the lowest eigenfunction \(\varphi\) of the corresponding modified Hamiltonian serves as the zeroth order approximation to \(\psi_{ev}\). By iterating an inhomogeneous integral equation involving \(\varphi\) and the difference between the double-well potential and the modified potential, approximate solutions \(f_n\) and energies \({\mathcal E}_n\) are obtained and it is shown that both of them converge as \(n\) tends to infinity. In subsequent sections an extension of this iterative procedure is presented which yields approximations to \(\psi_{od}\). A particular example is discussed in an appendix.