English

Rigidity, separability, and cusp conditions of a wave function

Quantum Physics 2022-08-15 v1 Atomic Physics Chemical Physics

Abstract

We introduce in quantum mechanics a concept of \textit{rigidity} and a concept of a \textit{pinned point} of a wave function. The concept of a pinned point is a generalization of a familiar concept in the description of a vibrating string, while the concept of rigidity is introduced to describe the sensitivity of a wave function to changes in energy, potential, and/or external perturbation. Through these concepts and their mathematical implications, we introduce and formulate cusp conditions and cusp functions as fundamental properties of an arbitrary NN-body quantum system with N2N\ge 2, greatly expanding their relevance beyond the Coulombic systems. The theory provides rigorous constraints on an arbitrary NN-body quantum system, specifically on its short-range pair correlation that is essential to a better understanding of strongly correlated systems. More broadly, the theory and the derivations presented here are part of a reconstruction of the mathematical and conceptual foundation of an NN-body quantum theory, incorporating previously hidden properties and insights revealed through the concepts of rigidity and pinned points. It includes general analytic properties of a 2-body wave function versus energy and their relations to cusp conditions and cusp functions. It includes a rigorous derivation and an understanding, in terms of an emergent length scale, of the 2-particle separability in an (N>2)(N>2)-body quantum system and its relations to cusp conditions. It also includes a classification of quantum systems, both 2-body and NN-body, based on the universal behaviors in their short-range correlation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2208.06035,
  title  = {Rigidity, separability, and cusp conditions of a wave function},
  author = {Bo Gao},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2208.06035},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

23 pages, 1 table

R2 v1 2026-06-25T01:39:21.950Z