Potential scatterings in $L^2$ space: (1) non-orthogonality of stationary states

Abstract

Orthogonality of eigenstates of different energies and its implications in potential scattering are unlabeled. Scalar products of scattering states of different energies are found to have finite non-orthogonal terms in potentials of finite widths. Their superpositions have time-dependent norms, and are not suitable for isolate states. In these systems, a perturbative method and a variational method are viable methods for finding a rigorous transition probability that describes phenomena completely. In various exceptional potentials, an orthogonality is satisfied.