Time-Independent Variational Approach to Inelastic Collisions of a Particle with a Harmonic Oscillator

Abstract

A variational approach is applied to collisions of a particle having a mass m with a harmonic oscillator having a mass M in one dimension. We have used trial functions which become exact in the limit of either m/M>>1 or m/M<<1. We have derived exact expressions in the limit m/M approaches O for inelastic as well as elastic collisions to leading order in the parameter m/M for any impenetrable interaction potential. Keywords: Collisions, Harmonic oscillator.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 15, 1988
Accession Number
ADA197695

Entities

People

  • Yasutami Takada

Organizations

  • University of California, Santa Barbara

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • California
  • Collisions
  • Energy
  • Energy Transfer
  • Equations
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Military Research
  • Oscillators
  • Particles
  • Phase Shift
  • Physics
  • Standing Waves
  • Step Functions
  • Trajectories
  • United States
  • Wave Functions

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Molecular Photonics/Laser Physics