763622S

ADV ANCED QUANTUM MECHANICS

Solutions 2

Spring 2010

1. Consider a three dimensional ket space. If a certain set of orthonormal kets, say | 1 , | 2 and | 3 are used as the base kets, then the operators A and B are represented by
a 0 0 A = 0 a 0 0 0 a and b 0 0 B = 0 0 ib 0 ib 0

in which both a and b are real. a) Obviously A exhibits a degenerate spectrum. Does B have a degenerate spectrum as well? b) Show that A and B commute. c) Find a new (orthonormal) set of base kets which are simultaneous eigenkets of both A and B . Specify the eigenvalues of A and B for each of the three eigenkets. Does your specication of eigenvalues completely characterize each eigenket?
Solution:

a) From the matrix representation of B we can see that the ket | 1 is an eigenvector of operator B with eigenvalue b, i.e.
b 0 0 1 b 1 B | 1 = 0 0 ib 0 = 0 = b 0 = b | 1 . 0 ib 0 0 0 0

As the matrix of operator B is Hermitian so its eigenvalues must be real. It only remains to diagonalize the minor M11 of matrix B .
det (M11 I) = 0,

therefore

2 + b2 = 0

= b.

We have found that the eigenvalues of B are {b, b, b}, concluding that operator B has a degenerate spectrum. b) Let us calculate the products AB and BA independently.
a 0 0 b AB = 0 a 0 0 0 0 a 0 b 0 0 a BA = 0 0 ib 0 0 ib 0 0 0 0 0 ib = ib 0 0 0 a 0 = 0 a ab 0 0 0 0 iab , 0 iab 0 ab 0 0 0 0 iab . 0 iab 0

We are now in conditions of writing the commutator:

Therefore A and B must share a simultaneous set of eigenvectors. c) We already have the rst of the eigenvector in that particular set, i.e. ket | 1 . Let us nd now the remaining eigenvectors of operator B in the subspace M11 .
Eigenvector associated to eigenvalue b. Let us rename it as | 2 . 0 ib ib 0 c2 c3 = bc2 bc3

Thus

ibc3 = bc2 c3 = ic2 . ibc2 = bc3

If we want our eigenvectors normalized, then c2 = c2 = 1/2. 2 3

Thus

ibc3 = bc2 c3 = ic2 . ibc2 = bc3

If we want our eigenvectors normalized, then c2 = c2 = 1/2. 2 3 We have to check that these new eigenvectors are shared with operator A.
A |2 0 0 a 0 0 1 1 = 0 a 0 1 = a = a | 2 2 2 0 0 a i ia a 0 0 0 0 1 1 = 0 a 0 1 = a = a | 3 2 2 0 0 a i ia

A |3

The primed notation (|1 ) is enough, but another and sure more informatic naming convecntion is to characterize the eigenvectors with their eigenvalues respect operator A and B , respectively
|a, b = |1 1 |a, b = (|2 + i |3 ) 2 1 |a, b = (|2 i |3 ) 2

2. Evaluate the uncertainty relation of x and p operators for a particle conned in an innite potential well (between two unpenetrable walls.) Some help: In this case the potential can be written:V (x) = 0, when 0 < x < a and otherwise V = . From quantum mechanics we remember that the wave function in such a potential reads n (x) = 2/a sin (nx/a), in which number n refers to the nth excitation while n = 1 is the ground state. The uncertainty relation for x and p is given by the product of the standard deviations x and p, i.e., xp. The standard deviation for a generic observable q in the system state is given by
Solution:

q =

q2

q 2.

In our case, we know that for a potential well in which V = 0 in the range 0 < x < a, the eigenfunctions for this particular problem can be written as
n (x) = 2 nx sin . a a

Knowing this, we are ready to calculate the expectation values of observables x, x2 , p and p2 .
a

n (x)xn (x) dx = 0

2 x sin2 (nx/a) dx a

2 a2 a = = , a 4 2 x2 =
n (x)x2 n (x) dx = 0

2 a3 = a 6 p = = p2 = =

3 a2 1 2 2 = 2 n 3 d n (x)(i ) n (x) dx dx a 2 i sin(nx/a)n/a cos(nx/a) dx = 0, a 0 d2 2 n2 2 a 2 sin (nx/a) dx n (x)( 2 ) 2 n (x) dx = 2 dx a a2 0 2 2 22 n a = 2 2 n2 /a2 a a2 2

2 2 2 x sin (nx/a) dx a 3 1 2 2 , 2 n

In the evaluation one needs partial integration and double angle formula: sin2 x = 1/2(1 cos 2x). Subtituting the above values into the denition for the uncertainty relation, we obtain that
xp = 2 2 n2 6 > 3 2 32 n2 6 > 3 2 9 12 6 = . 3 2

3. Show that
p |x| = i
Solution:

p | p

and

|x| =

dp (p )i

(p ). p

Here we need the representation of eigenstate |x in the momentum space

also we need the hermicity of x ( x |x| = x x | ) and the familiar dierentation rule (exp(ax))x = a exp(ax).
p |x| =

dx |x
I

x |x

dx x p |x x | dx x

1 px exp i x | 2 px 1 exp i x | = dx i p 2 =i p | p dx |x x | = i p p =

The second result is a corollary of the rst one:

dp |p
I

p |x

dp |p dp (p )i

p |x|

= =

p | p dp (p )i (p ). p

4. Consider spin precession of electron in static uniform magnetic eld in the z direction and calculate the expectation values of spin at time t in y and z directions when the initial state of the system at t = 0 is
|Sx ;
Solution:

1 1 = |Sz ; + |Sz ; . 2 2

We consider magnetic eld to be B = B z , so that the Hamiltonian is written as

The time evolution operator for this system is

where c = |e|B/me c. The expectation value for Sz is then calculated as follows

= 0.

Calculating the expectation value of Sy is equivalent:

eic t/2 Sz ; | + eic t/2 Sz ; | i 2 sin (c t) .

It is trivial to see that spin precedes in the xy -plane with a frequency c and with no projection into the z axis. Another and more straightforward way to calculate the expectation values is to apply the matrix representations of Si derived in previous exercises and represent also the time dependent state in the eigenbasis of Sz .
|Sx ; ; t = U(t, 0) |Sx ; ; t = 0 =
1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2

Sx (t) = Sx ; ; t |Sz | Sx ; ; t = Sy (t) = Sx ; ; t |Sz | Sx ; ; t = =

2 2 2

1 0 0 1 0 i i 0
i 2 eic t/2 i ic t/2 e 2

1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2 1 ic t/2 e 2

=0

sin(c t)