Barrier penetration in a finite mesh method

Abstract

A standard way to solve the Schrödinger equation is to discretize the radial coordinates and apply a numerical method for a differential equation, such as the Runge-Kutta method or the Numerov method. Here I employ a discrete basis formalism based on a finite mesh method as a simpler alternative, with which the numerical computation can be easily implemented by ordinary linear algebra operations. I compare the numerical convergence of the Numerov integration method to the finite mesh method for calculating penetrabilities of a one-dimensional potential barrier and show that the latter approach has better convergence properties.