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Quantum Bound States
Explore the properties of quantum "particles" bound in potential wells. See how the wave functions and probability densities that describe them evolve (or don't evolve) over time.
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Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Quantum Particles
- Potential Wells
- Waves
- Probability Density
Sample Learning Goals
- Visualize wave functions, probability densities, and energy levels for bound states in various potentials.
- Describe how multiple representations used for wave functions relate to one another.
- Explain what is and is not time-dependent for an energy eigenstate and a superposition state.
- Predict how the curvature and amplitude of the wave function and the spacing of the energy levels depends on the shape of the potential and the mass of the particle.
- Gain an intuition for how band structure results in a lattice of many wells.
- Gain an intuition for how to go from the microscopic potential of a single atom to the macroscopic potential of a solid.
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| potential well lab | Tim Paglione | UG-Adv | Lab | 11/3/09 |
| Spinometer | Chris Mounce | UG-Adv | Demo | 7/28/09 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
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Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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