Richard L. Hall

The exact solutions of Schr\"odinger's equation with the deformed Hulth\'en potential $V_q(x)=-{\mu\, e^{-\delta\,x }}/({1-q\,e^{-\delta\,x}}),~ \delta,\mu, q>0$ are given, along with a closed--form formula for the normalization constants of the eigenfunctions for arbitrary $q>0$. The Crum-Darboux transformation is then used to derive the corresponding exact solutions for the extended Hulth\'en potentials $V(x)= -{\mu\, e^{-\delta\,x }}/({1-q\,e^{-\delta\,x}})+ {q\,j(j+1)\, e^{-\delta\,x }}/({1-q\,e^{-\delta\,x}})^2, j=0,1,2,\dots.$ A general formula for the new normalization condition is also provided.

The exact solutions of Schrödinger’s equation with the deformed Hulthén potential V_q(x) = −μ e^{−δ x}/(1 − q e^{−δ x}), δ, μ, q > 0 are given, along with a closed-form formula for the normalization constants of the eigenfunctions for arbitrary q > 0. The Crum-Darboux transformation is then used to derive the corresponding exact solutions for the extended Hulthén potentials $V\left(x\right)=-\mu e^{-\delta x}/\left(1-q{e}^{-\delta x}\right)+qj\left(j+1\right)e^{-\delta x}/{\left(1-q{e}^{-\delta x}\right)}^2,j=\mathrm{0,1,2},\dots .$ A general formula for the new normalization condition is also provided.

An analysis of the generalized confluent Heun equation $(\alpha_2r^2+\alpha_1r)\,y''+(\beta_2r^2+\beta_1r+\beta_0)\,y'-(\varepsilon_1r+\varepsilon_0)\,y=0$ in $d$-dimensional space, where $\{\alpha_i, \beta_i, \varepsilon_i\}$ are real parameters, is presented. With the aid of these general results, the quasi exact solvability of the Schr\"odinger eigenproblem generated by the softcore Coulomb potential $V(r)=-e^2Z/(r+b),\, b>0$, is explicitly resolved. Necessary and sufficient conditions for polynomial solvability are given. A three-term recurrence relation is provided to generate the coefficients of polynomial solutions explicitly. We prove that these polynomial solutions are sources of finite sequences of orthogonal polynomials. Properties such as recurrence relations, Christoffel-Darboux formulas, and the moments of the weight function are discussed. We also reveal a factorization property of these polynomials which permits the construction of other interesting related sequences of orthogonal polynomials.

Analytic and approximate solutions for the energy eigenvalues generated by the hyperbolic potentials $V_m(x)=-U_0\sinh^{2m}(x/d)/\cosh^{2m+2}(x/d),\,m=0,1,2,\dots$ are constructed. A byproduct of this work is the construction of polynomial solutions for the confluent Heun equation along with necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such solutions based on the evaluation of a three-term recurrence relation. Very accurate approximate solutions for the general problem with arbitrary potential parameters are found by use of the {\it asymptotic iteration method}.

We establish sharp (or `refined') comparison theorems for the Klein--Gordon equation. We show that the condition $V_a\le V_b$, which leads to $E_a\le E_b$, can be replaced by the weaker assumption $U_a\le U_b$ which still implies the spectral ordering $E_a\le E_b$. In the simplest case, for $d=1$, $U_i(x)=\int_0^x V_i(t)dt$, $i=a$ or $b$, and for $d>1$, $U_i(r)=\int_0^r V_i(t) t^{d-1}dt$, $i=a$ or $b$. We also consider sharp comparison theorems in the presence of a scalar potential $S$ (a `variable mass') in addition to the vector term $V$ (the time component of a $4$-vector). The theorems are illustrated by a variety of explicit detailed examples.