Weblink 16.2 The energy levels and wavefunctions of the harmonic oscillator

This applet shows how the energy levels and wavefunctions vary as the force constant and the mass of the particle are varied. The potential energy is shown by the green curve, and the energies of the levels are represented by the horizontal lines. For each level, the corresponding wavefunction is plotted assuming that the horizontal line (representing the energy) is the x-axis (this is the format used for Fig. 16.16). The quantum number v of each level is shown on the right, and its energy (in units of hω/(2π)) is shown on the left. The wavefunctions are shown in purple in the classical region and in red in the non-classical region.

• Move the sliders to vary the force constant and the mass of the particle
• Use the radio buttons to select whether or not the wavefunction is displayed, or to select display of the square of the wavefunction
• Displaying the wavefunctions is computationally intensive, so it is best to move the sliders slowly to let the display catch up