[Physics] Particle in a Box: Energy Less than the Potential Energy

energypotential energyquantum mechanicsschroedinger equationwavefunction

I am reading quantum mechanics from Shankar's Principles of Quantum Mechanics. On page 157 he defines the box potential $V(x)$ as

$$
V(x) = \left\{ \begin{array}{rl}
0 &\mbox{ if $|x|< L/2$} \\
\infty &\mbox{ otherwise .}
\end{array} \right.
$$

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He starts with region $III$ where $V=\infty$. For this region, he considers $V=V_0>E$ at first and writes the Schrodinger equation as
$$ \frac{d^2\psi_{III}}{dx^2} + \frac{2m}{\hbar^2} (E-V_0) \psi_{III} = 0.$$

Solving it for $\psi_{III}$, he later shows that $\psi_{III} = 0$ when $V=V_0 \to \infty$.

My confusion is with the assumption: $V=V_0>E$.

Question: How the potential energy $V(x)$ of a particle in region $III$ can be greater than its total energy $E$?

We all know that $E=k_E + V(x)$; $E$ = total energy, $k_E$ = kinetic energy, $V(x)$ = potential energy. If the potential energy is $V_0$, shouldn't the total energy $E$ of the particle be greater than or equal to $V_0$; i.e., $E\geqslant V_0$?

Please explain.

Best Answer

Since $k_E \propto \hat{p}^2$ and $\hat{p}$ is Hermitian you may see that this makes $k_E$ positive semidefinite, that is all of its eigenvalues are larger or equal to 0. In other words when you measure this operator you will always get results which are larger or greater than zero. This "contradiction" is resolved by the fact that the potential is a function of the coordinate and the momentum (and hence kinetic energy) does not commute with functions of coordinate. This in turn means that you can't simultaneously measure both $k_E$, $E$, and potential.