Saturday, June 6, 2015

quantum mechanics - Degeneracy in one dimension



I'm reading this wikipedia article and I'm trying to understand the proof under "Degeneracy in One Dimension". Here's what it says:



Considering a one-dimensional quantum system in a potential V(x) with degenerate states |ψ1 and |ψ2 corresponding to the same energy eigenvalue E, writing the time-independent Schrödinger equation for the system: 22m2ψ1x2+Vψ1=Eψ1

22m2ψ2x2+Vψ2=Eψ2
Multiplying the first equation by ψ2 and the second by ψ1 and subtracting one from the other, we get: ψ1d2dx2ψ2ψ2d2dx2ψ1=0
Integrating both sides ψ1ψ2xψ2ψ1x=constant
In case of well-defined and normalizable wave functions, the above constant vanishes, provided both the wave functions vanish at at least one point, and we find: ψ1(x)=cψ2(x) where c is, in general, a complex constant. So, the two degenerate wave functions are not linearly independent. For bound state eigenfunctions, the wave function approaches zero in the limit x or x, so that the above constant is zero and we have no degeneracy.



Here are the parts I don't understand:




  1. How does integrating ψ1d2dx2ψ2ψ2d2dx2ψ1=0 yield ψ1ψ2xψ2ψ1x=constant. Without having explicit formulas for ψ1(x) and ψ2(x), how do we just apparently pull them both out of the integral?





  2. I don't understand how the constant in the last equation vanishes just because ψ1 and ψ2 vanish at infinity.




  3. Even if it does vanish, how does that imply ψ1=cψ2?





Answer



(1). ψ1ψ"2ψ2ψ"1=ddx(ψ1ψ2ψ2ψ1)=0.


(2). At infinity, it is zero, so the constant must be 0


(3). Integrate ψ1ψ2=ψ2ψ1, you will get that



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