Soliton-like solutions to the ordinary Schrödinger equation within standard quantum mechanics

In recent times attention has been paid to the fact that (linear) wave equations admit of “soliton-like” solutions, known as localized waves or non-diffracting waves, which propagate without distortion in one direction. Such localized solutions (existing also for K-G or Dirac equations) are a priori suitable, more than gaussian’s, for describing elementary particle motion. In this paper we show that, mutatis mutandis, localized solutions exist even for the ordinary (linear) Schr¨odinger equation within standard quantum mechanics; and we obtain both approximate and exact solutions, also setting forth for them particular examples. In the ideal case such solutions (even if localized and “decaying”) are not square-integrable, as well as plane or spherical waves: we show therefore how to obtain finite-energy solutions. At last, we briefly consider solutions for a particle moving in the presence of a potential.