Direct demonstration of the completeness of the eigenstates of the Schrödinger equation with local and nonlocal potentials bearing a Coulomb tail

DOI10.1063/1.2830976MaRDI QIDQ3544609zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors N. Michel

Publication date 8 December 2008

Published in Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0712.2651

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) (2)-body potential quantum scattering theory (81U05)

Abstract: Demonstrating the completeness of wave functions solutions of the radial Schrodinger equation is a very difficult task. Existing proofs, relying on operator theory, are often very abstract and far from intuitive comprehension. However, it is possible to obtain rigorous proofs amenable to physical insight, if one restricts the considered class of Schrodinger potentials. One can mention in particular unbounded potentials yielding a purely discrete spectrum and short-range potentials. However, those possessing a Coulomb tail, very important for physical applications, have remained problematic due to their long-range character. The method proposed in this paper allows to treat them correctly, provided the non-Coulomb part of potentials vanishes after a finite radius. Non-locality of potentials can also be handled. The main idea in the proposed demonstration is that regular solutions behave like sine/cosine functions for large momenta, so that their expansions verify Fourier transform properties. The highly singular point at k = 0 of long-range potentials is dealt with properly using analytical properties of Coulomb wave functions. Lebesgue measure theory is avoided, rendering the demonstration clear from a physical point of view.

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Cited in

(4)

• Completeness in quantum mechanics and the Weyl-Titchmarsh-Kodaira theorem
• On radial Schrödinger operators with a Coulomb potential
• On radial Schrödinger operators with a Coulomb potential: general boundary conditions
• The rigged Hilbert space approach to the Gamow states

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