DIWALI ASSIGNMENT SC 107

Kashyap Gohil
November 2016

Figure 1: DA-IICT

Assigned by: Manish K. Gupta

Course: SC 107
Calculus: Where are you?
Fall 2016
DA-IICT
Gandhinagar

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BASIC SCHRÖDINGER EQUATION
Kashyap Gohil
201601169
201601169@daiict.ac.in
DA-IICT
gandhinagar

Figure 2: ERWIN SCHRÖDINGER

ABSTRACT
• In this article, I try to explain the schrödinger equation and the solution.
• It is a basic mathematical physics equation which is used in quantum
mechanics.

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1 INTRODUCTION
• One of the fundamental equation of the mathematical physics is the schrödinger
equation, Which is the basic equation of quantum mechanics.
• The schrödinger equation is very useful to understand the wave form of
electrons, probability of the electron in orbit and many other aspects of
quantum mechanics that made the science rich and loaded with knowledge.

• It is a partial differential equation that describes the quantum state of the

system changes with time.
• It was derived by ERWIN SCHRÖDINGER in 1925.
• It is not accurate for the relativistic quantum mechanics but accurate for
the quantum mechanics that is non relativistic.
• Schrödinger equations find an application only in situation in which the
energy is small.
• In the this article I would try to explain the equation as much as possible
by me.

Figure 3: SCHRÖDINGER EQUATION

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2 EXPLANATION
• Let us consider a particle of mass m moving on the x-axis under the
influence of a continuous, conservative force given by F (x) that depends
only on the position x.
• According to the canon of classical particle mechanics, the motion x = x(t)
of the particle is governed by the dynamical equation
2
m ddt2x = F (x)

• Which is newton’s second law of motion(mass acceleration equals force).

• If the initial position and initial velocity at t=0 are known, then one
can solve ODE given above subject to the initial condition and actually
determine the state of the particle , that is, it’s position and velocity, for
all times t > 0.

• In this sense, classical mechanics is a deterministic model-knowledge of

the initial state determines the future history of the particle.
• It was found that this classical, deterministic model of motion fails on the
atomic scale.

• Quantum mechanics, Which is a probabilistic model, grew out of the

atomic physics revolution.
• Quantum theory dictates that the particle has no definite position of ve-
locity;rather one postulates a statistical or probabilistic, interpretation of
the state of the particle in terms of a wave functionψ(x, t).

• The square of the wave function(|ψ|2 ) is a probability density.

Rb
| a
ψ(x, t)|2 dx

• that is interpreted as the probability of the particle being in the interval

a ≤ x ≤ b at time t.
• Thus probability density equals to 1.
R∞
−∞
|ψ(x, t)|2 dx = 1

• Since the particle is located somewhere on the x-axis.

• From the elementary probability theory it is known that the probability
density contains all of the statistical information for a given problem (for
example, the mean and the variance of the position).

• Note that ψ is complex valued.

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• Thus |ψ|2 = ψψ, where the over bar denotes complex conjugation.
• So the question is how to find the wave function.
• The equation that governs the evolution of a quantum mechanics sys-
tem(the analogue of first equation for a classical system) is the schrödinger
equation, a second order partial differentiation equation
2
h
ih̄ψ = − 2m ψ + V (x)ψ,

• where V = V (x) is the potential energy, h̄ = h/2π,where h is planck’s

constant.
• Recall that associated with the forceF (x)is potential function V (x) defined
by the equation

F (x) = −V 0 (x)
That is the force is the negative gradient of the potential.

• One can motivate the equation from momentum and energy consideration,
but here our goal is only to note the form of the equation.
• A popular equation studied in detail in mathematics literature is the free
schrödinger equation

ψt = iψx x

• Where the potential V is taken to be zero(a free particle with no force

acting); the constants are taken to be unity.

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3 SOLUTION
• One method used to find the solution is taken to be zero; the constants
are taken to be unity.
• Note that this equation resembles the diffusion equation, but it has com-
plex co-efficient: this makes solution of the two equation quite different.
• One method for solution is to assume variables separate, the solution has
the form of a product ψ(x, t) = y(x)φ(t).
• Substituting this into above equation gives
2
h̄
ih̄φ(t) − 2m y”(x)+V (x)y(x)
φ(t) = y(x)

• Here prime denotes the derivative.

• y”(x) is second derivative of y(x).

• The left side of the equation only depends on t and the right side of the
equation depends only on x.
• Here we obtain two equations,

One for φ
dφ
dt
= (−iE/h̄)φ,
One for y
−h̄2
2m
Y + (V (x) − E)y = 0.
• The solution is easily found to be

φ = Cexp(−iEt/h̄) = C(cos( −et

h̄
) − isin( Et
h̄
)).
• Were E is Energy.
• Thus, the temporal part is oscillatory(periodic).
• equation for y, whose solutiony(x) gives the spatial part of the
wave function, is called time-independent schrodinger equation.
• It is one of the fundamental ODE models of the mathematical
physics.
• The values of e for which equation for y has a non trival solution
y(x) with

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 R∞
−∞
y(x)2 = 1

are interpreted as the allowable energy levels.

• This is in contrast to te situation in classical mechanics, where
any energy level is possible.

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4 APPLICATION
• It is used in physics and most of chemistry to deal with prob-
lems about the atomic structure of matter.
• It is an extremely powerful mathematical tool and the whole
basis of wave mechanics.
• The wave function we often find the probability of electron in
atomic system(the chances (probability)of finding that object
in a certain time and space.)
• We often find the quantized energy of different level in atom
etc.

Figure 4: APPLICATION!!!

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 The link to my page is The Schrodinger Equation

References
[1] F.A.Berezin. The Schrödinger Equations. Springer; 1991 edition, May 31,
1991, 555 pages. isbn: 079231218X.
[2] Herald J.W.Muller-Kirsten. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics: Schrödinger
Equations and Path Integral. World Scientific Publishing Company, March
3, 2006, 828 pages. isbn: 9812566910.
[3] David J. Logan. Applied Partial Differential Equations. Springer; 2nd edi-
tion, October 4, 2013, 212 pages. isbn: 0387209530.