English

Complex Eigenvalues of the Parabolic Potential Barrier and Gel'fand Triplet

Mathematical Physics 2007-05-23 v1 math.MP

Abstract

The paper deals with the one-dimensional parabolic potential barrier V(x)=V0mγ2x2/2V(x)={V_0-m\gamma^2 x^2/2}, as a model of an unstable system in quantum mechanics. The time-independent Schr\"{o}dinger equation for this model is set up as the eigenvalue problem in Gel'fand triplet and its exact solutions are expressed by generalized eigenfunctions belonging to complex energy eigenvalues V0i\Gammavn{V_0\mp i\Gammav_n} whose imaginary parts are quantized as \Gammavn=(n+1/2)γ{\Gammav_n=(n+1/2)\hslash\gamma}. Under the assumption that time factors of an unstable system are square integrable, we provide a probabilistic interpretation of them. This assumption leads to the separation of the domain of the time evolution, namely all the time factors belonging to the complex energy eigenvalues V0i\Gammavn{V_0-i\Gammav_n} exist on the future part and all those belonging to the complex energy eigenvalues V0+i\Gammavn{V_0+i\Gammav_n} exist on the past part. In this model the physical energy distributions worked out from these time factors are found to be the Breit-Wigner resonance formulas. The half-widths of these physical energy distributions are determined by the imaginary parts of complex energy eigenvalues, and hence they are also quantized.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.math-ph/9910009,
  title  = {Complex Eigenvalues of the Parabolic Potential Barrier and Gel'fand Triplet},
  author = {Toshiki Shimbori and Tsunehiro Kobayashi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math-ph/9910009},
  year   = {2007}
}

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18 pages