Published November 1, 2004 | Version v1
Report

Making space for harmonic oscillators

  • 1. Fermilab (United States)

Description

If we restrict the number of harmonic oscillator energy eigenstates to some finite value, N, then the discrete spectrum of the corresponding position operator comprise the roots of the Hermite polynomial HN+1. Its range is just large enough to accommodate classical motion at high energy. A negative energy term must be added to the Hamiltonian which affects only the last eigenstate, |N>, suggesting it is concentrated at the extrema of this finite ''space''. Calculations support a conjecture that, in the limit of large N, the global distribution of points approaches the differential form for classical action

Availability note (English)

Available from PURL: https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/15017029-eDY2gu/native/

Additional details

Publishing Information

Imprint Pagination
11 p.
Report number
FERMILAB-FN--0759

INIS

Country of Publication
United States
Country of Input or Organization
United States
INIS RN
36104873
Subject category
S72: PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS;
Resource subtype / Literary indicator
Non-conventional Literature
Descriptors DEI
DISTRIBUTION; EIGENSTATES; HAMILTONIANS; HARMONIC OSCILLATORS; HERMITE POLYNOMIALS; POSITION OPERATORS
Descriptors DEC
FUNCTIONS; MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS; POLYNOMIALS; QUANTUM OPERATORS

Optional Information

Contract/Grant/Project number
AC--02-76CH03000
Funding organization
US Department of Energy (United States)