[Physics] Why does the square integral of a Dirac-Delta-function blow up to infinity

dirac-delta-distributionsquantum mechanics

In Griffiths Introduction to Quantum Mechanics on page 102 it is shown, that the eigenfunctions of the position operator $\hat{x}=x$ are not normalizable.

$$\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}g_{\lambda}\left(x\right)^{*}g_{\lambda}\left(x\right)dx
~=~\left|B_{\lambda}\right|^{2}\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}\delta\left(x-\lambda\right)\delta\left(x-\lambda\right)dx
~=~\left|B_{\lambda}\right|^{2}\delta\left(\lambda-\lambda\right).$$

I understand everything up to this point. But now he concludes that

$$\left|B_{\lambda}\right|^{2}\delta\left(\lambda-\lambda\right)
~\rightarrow~\infty.$$

How comes?

References:

D.J. Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, (1995) p. 102.

(Link: http://www.fisica.net/quantica/Griffiths%20-%20Introduction%20to%20quantum%20mechanics.pdf)

Best Answer

Let's accept the last step in your "derivation". A squared delta already is an hint of serious problems.

Simply put, the expression $\delta(0)$ makes little sense. Consider the $\delta(x)$ "function" (it is a distribution, but I'll go with the simplest answer possible, just for intuition) and a succession approximating it:

$$ \delta(x-\lambda)=\lim_{\epsilon\to0}\frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}\epsilon}e^{\frac{(x-\lambda)^2}{2\epsilon^2}} $$ Now, you can see that, if you "evaluate" this limit for any $x$ that is non $\lambda$, you get 0: the exponential is always stronger than the power in the denominator, and dictates the limit.

But, if you take $x=\lambda$, as in your case, the exponential disappears: nothing stops the denominator from bringing the whole limit to infinity. So, you can say that $\delta(\lambda-\lambda)=\delta(0)=\infty$. So, the position eigenstate does not have a norm.