The Restricted Rotor: The Effect of Topology on Quantum Mechanics

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Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Journal of Physics A, Mathematical and General, Volume 23, Number 13
Year of Publication: 
1990
Authors: 
Sami M. Al-Jaber
Dept. of Phys., Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL, USA
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, An-Najah National University, Palestine
W C Henneberger
Dept. of Phys., Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL, USA
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

The authors consider the case of a limited rigid rotor, controlled by passive mechanical devices on a circle located at theta =0 and theta = pi . The devices have the effect of restricting the particle motion to the interval (0,3 pi ). This system, which cannot be described by a Hamiltonian on (0,2 pi ), is compared with a Hamiltonian system having delta function barriers at theta =0 and theta = pi . Many of the wavefunctions of the system having systematic reflections are the same as those of the Hamiltonian system with a reflection probability of 1/4. Finally, the effect of a whisker of flux at the origin (Aharonov-Bohm effect) is discussed in the case of the non-Hamiltonian system.

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