eigenfunctionn.
Physics.
A solution of a differential equation possessing solutions only for special values of a parameter.
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wave function1925
eigenfunction1926
Schrödinger function1935
partial wave1953
1926 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 112 661 A set of independent solutions, which may be called eigenfunctions.
1927 Nature 23 July 117/1 Among those..trying to acquire a general acquaintance with Schrödinger's wave mechanics there must be many who find their mathematical equipment insufficient to follow his first great problem—to determine the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for the hydrogen atom.
1938 Nature 16 Apr. 668/1 The homopolar or bond eigenfunction method associated with the names of Heitler, London, Slater and Pauling.
1946 E. C. Titchmarsh (title) Eigenfunction expansions associated with second-order differential equations.
1951 Rev. Mod. Physics XXIII. 1/2 The eigenfunction of a bound state.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
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