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The wave function of an initially very localized free particle. In quantum physics, a wave function (or wavefunction) is a mathematical description of the quantum state of an isolated quantum system. The most common symbols for a wave function are the Greek letters ψ and Ψ (lower-case and capital psi, respectively). Wave functions are complex ...
The Schrödinger equation is a partial differential equation that governs the wave function of a non-relativistic quantum-mechanical system. [ 1 ] : 1–2 Its discovery was a significant landmark in the development of quantum mechanics .
One particle: N particles: One dimension ^ = ^ + = + ^ = = ^ + (,,) = = + (,,) where the position of particle n is x n. = + = = +. (,) = /.There is a further restriction — the solution must not grow at infinity, so that it has either a finite L 2-norm (if it is a bound state) or a slowly diverging norm (if it is part of a continuum): [1] ‖ ‖ = | |.
= if and only if is exactly equal to the wave function of the ground state of the studied system. The variational principle formulated above is the basis of the variational method used in quantum mechanics and quantum chemistry to find approximations to the ground state.
The term "wave function" is typically used for a different mathematical representation of the quantum state, one that uses spatial coordinates also called the "position representation". [9]: 324 When the wave function representation is used, the "reduction" is called "wave function collapse".
Wave functions that fulfill this constraint are called normalizable. The Schrödinger equation, describing states of quantum particles, has solutions that describe a system and determine precisely how the state changes with time. Suppose a wave function ψ(x, t) gives a description of the particle (position x at a given time t).
Born's idea was soon taken over by Niels Bohr in Copenhagen who then became the "father" of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Schrödinger's wave function can be seen to be closely related to the classical Hamilton–Jacobi equation. The correspondence to classical mechanics was even more explicit, although somewhat more ...
It relates the scattered wave function with the interaction that produces the scattering (the scattering potential) and therefore allows calculation of the relevant experimental parameters (scattering amplitude and cross sections). The most fundamental equation to describe any quantum phenomenon, including scattering, is the Schrödinger equation.