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WKB Method for Harmonic Oscillator

1. Schrödinger Equation and Classical Momentum

Start with the time-independent Schrödinger equation for the harmonic oscillator:

$$ -\frac{\hbar^2}{2m} \frac{d^2\psi(x)}{dx^2} + \frac{1}{2}m\omega^2x^2\psi(x) = E\psi(x) $$

The classical momentum $p(x)$ is defined as:

$$ p(x) = \sqrt{2m(E - V(x))} = \sqrt{2m\left(E - \frac{1}{2}m\omega^2x^2\right)} $$

2. WKB Ansatz for Wavefunction

Assume the WKB form of the wavefunction:

$$ \psi(x) = A(x)\exp\left(\pm \frac{i}{\hbar} \int p(x') dx'\right) $$

where $A(x)$ is a slowly varying amplitude.

3. Turning Points

Identify the classical turning points $x_1$ and $x_2$, where $E = V(x)$. For the harmonic oscillator, these are:

$$ x_1 = -\sqrt{\frac{2E}{m\omega^2}}, \quad x_2 = \sqrt{\frac{2E}{m\omega^2}} $$

4. Bohr-Sommerfeld Quantization Condition

Apply the quantization condition:

$$ \oint p(x) dx = 2\pi n \hbar, \quad n = 0, 1, 2, \dots $$

Here, $\oint p(x) dx$ represents the integral over one complete cycle between the turning points.

For the harmonic oscillator:

$$ p(x) = m\omega \sqrt{\frac{2E}{m\omega^2} - x^2} $$

5. Solve Integral

Evaluate the integral:

$$ I = \oint p(x) dx = 4 \int_0^{x_2} m\omega \sqrt{\frac{2E}{m\omega^2} - x^2} dx $$

Substitute $x = x_2 \sin(\theta)$, and solve:

$$ I = 4 m\omega \int_0^{\pi/2} x_2^2 \cos^2(\theta)d\theta = 4 m\omega x_2^2 \cdot (\pi/4) = \pi m\omega x_2^2 = \pi m\omega \left(\frac{2E}{m\omega^2}\right) = \frac{2\pi E}{\omega} $$

Equating $I = \frac{2\pi E}{\omega} = 2\pi n \hbar$, solve for $E_n$:

$$ \frac{2\pi E}{\omega} = 2\pi(n+1/2) \hbar $$ $$ E_n = (n + \frac{1}{2})\hbar \omega $$

6. Energy Levels

The WKB method yields:

$$ E_n = \left(n + \frac{1}{2}\right)\hbar \omega $$

WKB method gives approximate result, but in this case it matches the exact quantum mechanical result for the harmonic oscillator. You might want to think about why it does so.

Key Notes


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