Eigenstates with the auxiliary field method

Abstract

The auxiliary field method is a powerful technique to obtain approximate closed-form energy formulas for eigenequations in quantum mechanics. Very good results can be obtained for Schrödinger and semirelativistic Hamiltonians with various potentials, even in the case of many-body problems. This method can also provide approximate eigenstates in terms of well known wavefunctions, for instance harmonic oscillator or hydrogen-like states, but with a characteristic size which depends on quantum numbers. In this paper, we consider two-body Schrödinger equations with linear, logarithmic and exponential potentials and show that analytical approximations of the corresponding eigenstates can be obtained with the auxiliary field method, with a very good accuracy in some cases.

Extended version published in J. Phys. A