Sturm-Liouville differential equation

It is generally true that the normalized eigenfunctions of an Hermitian operator such as the Schrodinger Ti constitute a complete orthonormal set in the relevant Hilbert space. A completeness theorem is required in principle for each particular choice of v(r) and of boundary conditions. To exemplify such a proof, it is helpful to review classical Sturm-Liouville theory [74] as applied to a homogeneous differential equation of the form... 

Volumes have been written about the red herring known as Schrodinger s cat. Without science writers looking for sensation, it is difficult to see how such nonsense could ever become a topic for serious scientific discussion. Any linear differential equation has an infinity of solutions and a linear combination of any two of these is another solution. To describe situations of physical interest such an equation is correctly prepared by the specification of appropriate boundary conditions, which eliminate the bulk of all possible solutions as irrelevant. Schrodinger s equation is a linear differential equation of the Sturm-Liouville type. It has solutions, known as eigenfunctions, the sum total of which constitutes a state function or wave function, which carries... 

The boundary value problem posed by the differential equation (2.166) and the two boundary conditions (2.168) and (2.169) leads to the class of Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problems for which a series of general theorems are valid. As we will soon show the solution function F only satisfies the boundary conditions with certain discrete values /q of the separation parameter. These special values /q are called eigenvalues of the boundary value problem, and the accompanying solution functions Fi are known as eigenfunctions. The most important rules from the theory of Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problems are, cf. e.g. K. Janich [2.33] ... 

By applying the Sturm-Liouville theorem, the coefficient A for partial differential equations with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions is obtained as ... 

One can see that the integral transform indeed facilitates the resolution of ODE boundary value problems and also partial differential equations comprised of Sturm-Liouville operators (e.g., Eq. 11.45). The simplicity of such operational methods lead to algebraic solutions and also give a clearer view on how the solution is represented in Hilbert space. Moreover, students may find that the Sturm-Liouville integral transform is a faster and fail-safe way of getting the solution. Thus, Eq. 11.52 represents the solution to an almost infinite variety of ordinary differential equations, as we see in more detail in the homework section. 

In Chapters 7 to 12 we deal with numerical solution methods, and partial differential equations (PDE) are presented. Qassical techniques, such as combination of variables and separation of variables, are covered in detail. This is followed by Chapter 11 on PDE transform methods, culminating in the generalized Sturm-Liouville transform. This allows sets of PDEs to be solved as handily as algebraic sets. Approximate and numerical methods close out the treatment of PDEs in Chapter 12. 

Sturm-Liouville problems are categorized according to the type of boundary conditions that the differential equation must satisfy. 

X here represents various variables and the equation is therefore a partial differential equation. L[ j represents a linear, homogeneous, self-adjoint differential expression of second order, ip is the desired function, p x) the density function and A the eigenvalue parameter of this Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem. ... 

Abstract In this work an algorithm based on the point canonical transformation method to convert any general second order differential equation of Sturm-Liouville type into a Schrodinger-like equation is applied to the position-dependent mass Schrodinger equation (PDMSE). This algorithm is next applied to find potentials isospectral to Morse potential and associated to different position-dependent mass distributions in the PDMSE. Factorization of worked PDMSE are also obtained. 

Coulomb Sturmians have the advantage of constituting a complete set without continuum states because they are eigenfunctions of a Sturm-Liouville equation involving the nuclear attraction potential i.e., the differential equation below. 

A special type of two point boundary value problem arises in many areas of engineering. Such problems are frequently referred to as flie Sturm-Liouville problem after the two mathematicians who made the first extensive study of the problem and published results in 1836. A typical formulation of die problem is the following second order differential equation with associated boundary conditions ... 

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