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Is the ground state of the infinite square well an eigenfunction of momentum? If so, what is its momentum? If not, why not?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The wavefunction nis not a momentum eigenfunction.

The magnitude of the momentum is a constant, and it is given by,

|p|=2mE=na

Step by step solution

01

Concept used

The wave function of the infinite square well's stationary states is calculated as follows:

n(x)=2asin(苍蟺虫a)

Where a is the width of the well.

02

Calculate the momentum

The wave function of the infinite square well's stationary states is calculated as follows:

p^=-iddx

We can check that directly as:

p^n=-iddx2asinnxa=-i2anacosnxa=-inacotnxan(x)

Since the momentum operator doesn't yield the original wave function multiplied by a constant, then the wavefunction nis not an eigenfunction of momentum. The mean momentum is:

p=0anp^ndx=-i2na20asinnxacosnxadx=0

Which means the particle is just as likely to be found traveling to the left as to the right. The magnitude of momentum is a constant that is given by,

|p|=2mE=na

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