Convergence of expansions in Schrodinger and Dirac eigenfunctions, with an application to the R-matrix theory

Expansion of a wave function in a basis of eigenfunctions of a differential eigenvalue problem lies at the heart of the R-matrix methods for both the Schrodinger and Dirac particles. A central issue that should be carefully analyzed when functional series are applied is their convergence. In the present paper, we study the properties of the eigenfunction expansions appearing in nonrelativistic and relativistic R-matrix theories. In particular, we confirm the findings of Rosenthal [J. Phys. G 13, 491 (1987)] and Szmytkowski and Hinze [J. Phys. B 29, 761 (1996); J. Phys. A 29, 6125 (1996)] that in the most popular formulation of the R-matrix theory for Dirac particles, the functional series fails to converge to a limit claimed by other authors. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3679763]