Rafael de la Madrid 2005 Eur. J. Phys. 26 287 doi:10.1088/0143-0807/26/2/008
Rafael de la Madrid
Show affiliationsThere is compelling evidence that, when a continuous spectrum is present, the natural mathematical setting for quantum mechanics is the rigged Hilbert space rather than just the Hilbert space. In particular, Dirac's bra-ket formalism is fully implemented by the rigged Hilbert space rather than just by the Hilbert space. In this paper, we provide a pedestrian introduction to the role the rigged Hilbert space plays in quantum mechanics, by way of a simple, exactly solvable example. The procedure will be constructive and based on a recent publication. We also provide a thorough discussion on the physical significance of the rigged Hilbert space.
Issue 2 (April 2005)
Received 20 October 2004, in final form 26 January 2005
Published 17 February 2005
Rafael de la Madrid 2005 Eur. J. Phys. 26 287
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