PPPL-5318

Bound State Energies Using Phase Integral Methods

Authors: R. B. White

Abstract: The study of asymptotic properties of solutions to differential equations has a long and arduous history, with the most significant advances having been made in the development of quantum mechanics. A very powerful method of analysis is that of Phase Integrals, primarly due to Heading. Key to this analysis are the Stokes constants and the rules for analytic continuation of an asymptotic solution through the complex plane. These constants are easily determined for isolated singular points, by analytically continuing around them and, in the case of analytic functions, requiring the asymptotic solution to be single valued. However, most interesting problems of mathematical physics involve several singular points. By examination of bound state problems involving multiple singular points, we show that the method of Phase Integrals can greatly improve the determination of bound state energy over the simple WKB values.

Submitted to: Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation
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Download PPPL-5318 (pdf 1.2 MB 17 pp)
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