Processing math: 100%
Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Physics LibreTexts

9: Symmetry and Bound States

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

  • 9.1: Math Tutorial — Complex Waves
  • 9.2: Symmetry and Quantum Mechanics
    The idea of symmetry plays a huge role in physics. We have already used symmetry arguments in the theory of relativity — applying the principle of relativity to obtain the dispersion relation for relativistic matter waves is just such an argument. In this section we begin to explore how symmetry can be used to increase our understanding of quantum mechanics.
  • 9.3: Confined Matter Waves
    Confinement of a wave to a limited spatial region results in rather peculiar behavior — the wave can only fit comfortably into the confined region if the wave frequency, and hence the associated particle energy, takes on a limited set of possible values. This is the origin of the famous quantization of energy, from which the “quantum” in quantum mechanics comes.
  • 9.4: Problems


This page titled 9: Symmetry and Bound States is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by David J. Raymond (The New Mexico Tech Press) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

Support Center

How can we help?