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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment
Published on: May 18, 2021
Schrödinger equation for a particle on a curved surface in an electric and magnetic field
Giulio Ferrari1, Giampaolo Cuoghi
1S3 CNR-INFM National Research Center, Modena, Italy. giulio.ferrari@unimore.it
Abstract:
We derive the Schrödinger equation for a spinless charged particle constrained to move on a curved surface in the presence of an electric and magnetic field. The particle is confined on the surface using a thin-layer procedure, which gives rise to the well-known geometric potential. The electric and magnetic fields are included via the four potential. We find that there is no coupling between the fields and the surface curvature and that, with a proper choice of the gauge, the surface and transverse dynamics are exactly separable. Finally, we derive an analytic form of the Hamiltonian for spherical, cylindrical, and toroidal surfaces.
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