paper

Self-adjoint Extensions for Confined Electrons:from a Particle in a Spherical Cavity to the Hydrogen Atom in a Sphere and on a Cone

arXiv:1204.3434 · doi:10.1016/j.aop.2012.06.006

Abstract

In a recent study of the self-adjoint extensions of the Hamiltonian of a particle confined to a finite region of space, in which we generalized the Heisenberg uncertainty relation to a finite volume, we encountered bound states localized at the wall of the cavity. In this paper, we study this situation in detail both for a free particle and for a hydrogen atom centered in a spherical cavity. For appropriate values of the self-adjoint extension parameter, the bound states lo calized at the wall resonate with the standard hydrogen bound states. We also examine the accidental symmetry generated by the Runge-Lenz vector, which is explicitly broken in a spherical cavity with general Robin boundary conditions. However, for specific radii of the confining sphere, a remnant of the accidental symmetry persists. The same is true for an electron moving on the surface of a finite circular cone, bound to its tip by a 1/r potential.

22 pages, 9 Figures

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