- #1
friend
- 1,452
- 9
I'm trying to calculate this limit to answer a question in Quantum Mechanics:
[tex]\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_1} \to 0} \,\,{\left( {\frac{m}{{2\pi \hbar i{t_1}}}} \right)^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}{e^{im{{(x' - x)}^2}/2\hbar {t_1}}}\,\,\,\,\, + \,\,\,\,\,\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_2} \to 0} \,\,{\left( {\frac{m}{{2\pi \hbar ( - i){t_2}}}} \right)^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}{e^{ - im{{(x - x')}^2}/2\hbar {t_2}}}[/tex]
It seems as t → 0 in an arbitrary way, the complex exponentials circles wildly from +1 to i to -1 to -i to +1 again. And the two square roots approach ∞ in magnitude and are 90° out of phase with each other. So it seems the limit does not approach any particular value, not even to plus or minus ∞; the limit seem undefined.
However, I wonder if t1 and t2 could approach 0 in some controlled way that allows the two terms to cancel out.
Let
[tex]A = {\left( {\frac{m}{{2\pi \hbar i}}} \right)^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}[/tex]
And let,
[tex]B = m{(x' - x)^2}/2\hbar [/tex]
Then the above limit can be written,
[tex]A\left( {\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_1} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{iB/{t_1}}}}}{{{t_1}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}} + i\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_2} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{ - iB/{t_2}}}}}{{{t_2}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}}} \right)[/tex]
which equals,
[tex]A\left( {\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_1} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{iB/{t_1}}}}}{{{t_1}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}} + \mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_2} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{ - iB/{t_2} + i\pi /2}}}}{{{t_2}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}}} \right)[/tex]
If we restrict t2 such that,
[tex]\frac{{ - iB}}{{{t_2}}} + \frac{{i\pi }}{2} = \frac{{iB}}{{{t_1}}} + i\pi - i2\pi n[/tex]
for n any integer, then the [itex]i\pi - i2\pi n[/itex] factor in the exponent will insure that the second term is always 180° out of phase with the first term so that the two terms will cancel out to zero. In this case, t1 could be any arbitrary number approaching zero. But t2 would have to be
[tex]{t_2} = \frac{B}{{\frac{{ - B}}{{{t_1}}} + 2\pi (n - \frac{1}{4})}}[/tex]
We can see from this that t2 gets arbitrarily close to zero from above or below as n increases to plus infinity or negative infinity, respectively. It seems that for any other way of letting t2 approach zero, the limit is completely undefined.
The question is whether it is allowed to let parameters be discrete in the limiting process. Or must they always be continuous?
[tex]\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_1} \to 0} \,\,{\left( {\frac{m}{{2\pi \hbar i{t_1}}}} \right)^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}{e^{im{{(x' - x)}^2}/2\hbar {t_1}}}\,\,\,\,\, + \,\,\,\,\,\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_2} \to 0} \,\,{\left( {\frac{m}{{2\pi \hbar ( - i){t_2}}}} \right)^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}{e^{ - im{{(x - x')}^2}/2\hbar {t_2}}}[/tex]
It seems as t → 0 in an arbitrary way, the complex exponentials circles wildly from +1 to i to -1 to -i to +1 again. And the two square roots approach ∞ in magnitude and are 90° out of phase with each other. So it seems the limit does not approach any particular value, not even to plus or minus ∞; the limit seem undefined.
However, I wonder if t1 and t2 could approach 0 in some controlled way that allows the two terms to cancel out.
Let
[tex]A = {\left( {\frac{m}{{2\pi \hbar i}}} \right)^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}[/tex]
And let,
[tex]B = m{(x' - x)^2}/2\hbar [/tex]
Then the above limit can be written,
[tex]A\left( {\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_1} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{iB/{t_1}}}}}{{{t_1}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}} + i\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_2} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{ - iB/{t_2}}}}}{{{t_2}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}}} \right)[/tex]
which equals,
[tex]A\left( {\mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_1} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{iB/{t_1}}}}}{{{t_1}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}} + \mathop {\lim }\limits_{{t_2} \to 0} \frac{{{e^{ - iB/{t_2} + i\pi /2}}}}{{{t_2}^{{\raise0.5ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 1$}
\kern-0.1em/\kern-0.15em
\lower0.25ex\hbox{$\scriptstyle 2$}}}}}} \right)[/tex]
If we restrict t2 such that,
[tex]\frac{{ - iB}}{{{t_2}}} + \frac{{i\pi }}{2} = \frac{{iB}}{{{t_1}}} + i\pi - i2\pi n[/tex]
for n any integer, then the [itex]i\pi - i2\pi n[/itex] factor in the exponent will insure that the second term is always 180° out of phase with the first term so that the two terms will cancel out to zero. In this case, t1 could be any arbitrary number approaching zero. But t2 would have to be
[tex]{t_2} = \frac{B}{{\frac{{ - B}}{{{t_1}}} + 2\pi (n - \frac{1}{4})}}[/tex]
We can see from this that t2 gets arbitrarily close to zero from above or below as n increases to plus infinity or negative infinity, respectively. It seems that for any other way of letting t2 approach zero, the limit is completely undefined.
The question is whether it is allowed to let parameters be discrete in the limiting process. Or must they always be continuous?
Last edited: