Some applications of the particle-in-a-box eigenfunctions: fast-convergent variational and related calculations

Eigenfunctions of the quantum mechanical particle-in-a-box problem are shown to lead to a new trigonometric expansion scheme with good convergence properties. This hitherto unexplored expansion strategy is found to be quite efficient in variational calculations and as an alternative to the Fourier series. Demonstrative computations involve a few one-dimensional models of confining potentials for bound states and pulses of various shapes in signal analysis. ((orig.))