A simple example of pressure excitation:the 3D square well potential

Abstract

High pressure experiments in diamond anvil cells as well as in geophysics show that at certain discrete values of pressure abrupt changes of the mass density and changes of the material structure occur. The aim of this paper is to discuss the influence of high external pressure on atoms and molecules using the $3D$ square well potential as a simple solvable quantum mechanical example. Values of external pressure needed for a transition between energy levels with different values of the main quantum number $n$, as well as the pressure needed to expel the particle from this system are calculated. In both cases discrete values of pressure are obtained.