SUBATOMIC PHYSICS:

NUCLEAR PHYSICS PART

Profe. Carolina Pinilla
Subatomic Physics: Nuclear physics part
Remarks

§ This material may content figures, equations or other material

taken from the web or books with just educational purposes.

§ This material is under construction. I apologize in advance for

typing or other mistakes. If you find some, please let me know.
Some quantum mechanics tools: Stationary bound
states

• A bound state is “confined” in a potential

• The wave function is square integrable

0 < ∫$ Ψ & '( ) < ∞

• Wave functions correspond to states of defined energy

Some quantum mechanics tools: One-dimensional
Stationary bound states
Infinite well
The dynamics of the system is described by

ℏ" % " # $ = ∞, $ < 0, $ > .

− +# $ Ψ $ = 'Ψ $ , with )
#$ %& "
= 0, 0 ≤ $ ≤ ..

The solution can be written as

Ψ $ = 1sin5$ + 6cos5$.

The boundary conditions set Ψ $ = 0 = 0, Ψ $ = . = 0. Then

6 = 0,
ℏ# : # ; #
Ψ . = 1sin5. = 0 → 5' . = :; → ' =
2>. #
Some quantum mechanics tools: One-dimensional
Stationary Bound states
infinite well

*=4 ) = 16))
" !$%
• Solid line: Ψ! ! = #
sin #
• Dashed line: Ψ! ! "
' '
" ℏ $
• )! = * "(#' = )) *"
*=3 ) = 9))

*=2 ) = 4))

*=1 ) = ))
!=0 !=$
Some quantum mechanics tools: One-dimensional
stationary bound states
Simple harmonic oscillator*
In this case we have to solve

ℏ! %! 1 !
− + )& Ψ & = ,Ψ & ,
2$ %& ! 2

The solution can be written as

#
" $%
Ψ& = . ! / & ,
&' !')
with 0! = ℏ%
and 1 ! = ℏ%
, we have

* Carolina Spinel, Introducción al formalismo de la mecánica cuántica no relativista, notas de clase–

Facultad de Ciencias (2009), Arfken & Weber, Mathematical methods for physics, Elsevier Academic
Press (2005).
Some quantum mechanics tools: One-dimensional
stationary bound states
Simple harmonic oscillator
!! ! ! !
#
"! $ %
! −$ " +& ' ( " =0
!"
!! !
→ ! ( " − 2$" ( " + & ! − $ ( " = 0.
!" !"

Making the following changes in the above equation

. = $";
1! 1 3 1 1 $ℏ
0= − = − ; 5= = .
2$ 2 ℏ5 2 6 6
Some quantum mechanics tools: One-dimensional
stationary bound states
Simple harmonic oscillator
We end up with the differential equation for the Hermite polynomials

!" !
!
!# " $
" − 2" !# !$ " + 2&!$ " = 0; * " ≡ !$ " ,

% '
With -$ = & +& ℏ/ and !$ " = −1 $ 1 # " ! 1 (# " .
!# '

Therefore

%
15 ) *
( +"
Ψ$ 3 = 1 & !$ 53 .
2$ &! 6
Some quantum mechanics tools: One-dimensional
stationary bound states
Simple harmonic oscillator Wave functions “confined in the
potential”
Ψ$ " # = 7#!

Ψ# " # = 5#!

Ψ" " # = 3#!

Ψ! " ℏ&
# = #! =
"=0 2
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom

"#

!
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom
We have to solve
34
#Ψ %% , %& = EΨ %' , %& , E<0,
r
re Rcm +(& +(%
#= + + / |%% − %& |
2 2-& 2-%
rp
Changing %% , %& → 3)* , % and +& , +% → +)* , 4 .
O The Hamiltonian becomes
,.0.1,-0-
% = %% −%& ; 3)* = ;
,.1,- +()* 4(
# = #)* + #+ = + + / |%| ,
26 27
-& +& − -% +%
4= , +)* = +& + +% ,-,.
-% + -& with 7 = , 6 = -& + -%
/
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom
Therefore

!Ψ #! , #" = EΨ ## , #" , E<0

*&$% .&
→ + + 0 |#| Φ 3$% 4 # = 5Φ 3$% 4 # .
2, 2/

' ,-./⋅1./
As Φ 3$% = &( )/+ 7 and observables involve the square of this quantity, we ignore it for
practical purposes.
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom
Thus we need to solve

!! %!
− * + = -* + ; # ≈ 0#
2# 4'(" )
ℏ! ! %!
→ − ∇ − − - * + = 0.
20# 4'(" )
Using

1 7 7 8!
∇! = ! )! − ! !,
) 7) 7) ℏ )
! !
7 cos : 7 1 7
8! = −ℏ! + + ,
7: ! sin : 7: sin! : 7A!
* + = B$ ) C$% :, A and 8! C$% :, A = ℏ! D D + 1 C$% :, A ,
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom
we end up with
ℏ! %! 2 % ( ( + 1 *!
− + − − − . /$ & = 0.
2$" %& ! & %& &! 4,-# &

%& '
The radial differential equation is obtained by changing /$ & = '
, 4. *.

ℏ! %! $
− ! + 5()) (&) − . 8$ & = 0,
2$" %&

with the effective potential

$ *! ℏ! ( ( + 1
5()) & =− + .
4,-# & 2$" & !
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Effective potential

• Rydberg energy
&'
1 Ryd = = 13.6 eV
8)*+ ,+

• Bohr Radius

4)*+ ℏ'
,+ = '
≈ 0.529 A°
45 &
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Radial wave functions and energy

The normalized solutions of the second order differential equation

ℏ! %! ℏ! ( ( + 1 *!
− + − − . /$ & = 0,
2$" %& ! 2$" & ! 4,-# &

with the boundary conditions /$ 0 = 0, /$ & → ∞ → 0 are*

'
& !
2 5−(−1 ! (
)*
$ $+' !$+'
2
/%$ & = * 8 & 9%($(' 8& ; 8 =
! .
56# 25 5 + ( ! 56#

* Arfken & Weber, Mathematical methods for physics, Elsevier Academic Press (2005).
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Radial wave functions and energy

The !"! " are the associated Laguerre polynomials. They fulfill the Rodrigues representation

# $" !
$ " '
!"! = $ $# " !%" .
%! '" !

The boundary condition )& * → ∞ → 0 provides the quantization of the energy

Ryd
.! = − ' .
%
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Radial wave functions and energy

(
- *
2 %−(−1 ! .
/0
!"# " = , * - # " #1( .*#1(
".#.( -"
%&' 2% % + ( !
(/*

23
.
• The factor , assures that !"# " → ∞ → 0
&'
1

• The number of nodes is given by %0 = % − ( − 1 in the

Associated Laguerre Polynomial.
!"# $

$ [&' ]
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Radial wave functions and energy

"#$
• !! = −
!%
• $& = $ − % − 1 → 0 ≤ % ≤ $ − 1.
• +! = ∑!*+
'() 2% + 1 = $
,
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Radial wave functions and energy

Spectral series Transition Spectral region

Lyman !" ≥ 2 → !& = 1 Far ultraviolet
Balmer !" ≥ 3 → !& = 2 Visible
Paschen !" ≥ 4 → !& = 3 infrared

1 1
Δ" = "+, − "+- = − Ryd
&." &/"
Δl = ±1
Some quantum mechanics tools: Three-dimensional
stationary bound states
Hydrogen atom: Radial wave functions and energy
Some quantum mechanics tools: Resonances

#!

No resonant continuum #!
potential

Veff $>0
"
!
0 0
r

“Quasibound state” "# $

• Solutions at $ > 0 at definite energy

Some quantum mechanics tools: Parity
Parity: Symmetry under reflection of coordinates

!, #, $ → −!, −#, −$

', (, ) → ', * − (, + + *

or '⃗ → −⃗'

+ Positive parity state

.Ψ '⃗ = ±Ψ −⃗' → 2
− Negative parity state
Quantum number
Some quantum mechanics tools: Parity
Parity Π of a two-body system

1
)→+ Π = Π#Π$ −1 ' .

) → Relative coordinate
+ → Relative angular momentum
+, ./0 ⟩ = ℏ$. . + 1 ./0 ⟩.