Quantum propagator and characteristic equation in the presence of a chain of δ-potentials

Abstract

The quantum propagator and characteristic equation in the presence of a chain of δ-potentials are obtained in the rectangular, cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems. The simplicity and efficiency of the method is illustrated via examples. As an application, the characteristic equation of a quantum harmonic oscillator confined to an infinite box is obtained. The roots of the characteristic equation, determining the energy eigenvalues of the restricted oscillator, are calculated approximately and compared with the existing numerical data. Due to the similarity between Schrödinger and diffusion equations, the problem can be considered as exact solutions of the diffusion equation in the presence of a chain of δ-potentials as boundary.