Quantum Mechanics - Homework Assignment 8

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

November 26, 2012

1) If | is a simultaneous eigenvector of Hermitian operators A and B that anticommute, AB+BA = 0,
what can you say about the eigenvalues a and b of |? As an exmaple, discuss the case where the
operators are and P (parity and momentum) for a particle in 1D.
If A and B anticommute, we know that AB + BA = 0. Applying this to the eigenvector of both
operators:
AB| +BA| = bA| +aB| = 0
then, we can know that A| is an eigenvector of B and B| is an eigenvector of A. But, if this
expression vanishes, a or b must be zero.
In the case of and P for a particle in 1D:
P|x +P|x = p|x +P| x = 0
thus, p = 0.
2) An ammonia molecule has its nitrogen nucleus xed at the origin, and three hydrogen nuclei xed
at (a, 0, c), (a/2,

3a/2, c), and (a/2,

3a/2, c), where constatns a and c are appropriately

chosen.
a) Argue, in general terms, that C

3
HC
3
= H, where H is the Hamiltonian for the electrons in this
system, and C
3
is the unitary operator corresponding to a rotation of 120

about the z axis.

If C
3
is the unitary operator corresponding to a rotation of 120

about the z axis, we can dene

it as:
C
3
= U[R(120)] = e

120iLz

then,
C

3
HC
3
= e
120iLz

He

120iLz

= H
that is clear for a system to rotate 120

and then turn back the same angle.

b) What are the allowed eigenvalues of C
3
?
C
3
can be written as the matrix:
C
3
=
_
_
cos 120 sin 120 0
sin 120 cos 120 0
0 0 1
_
_
=
_
_
_

1
2

3
2
0

3
2

1
2
0
0 0 1
_
_
_

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
Then, to calculate the eigenvalues:
det

1
2

3
2
0

3
2

1
2
0
0 0 1

= 0
_

1
2

_
2
(1 ) +
3
4
(1 ) = 0
_
_

1
2

_
2
+
3
4
_
(1 ) = 0
_

1
2
+
i

3
2
__

1
2

i

3
2
_
(1 ) = 0
_
i

3 1
2

__

i

3 1
2
_
(1 ) = 0
Thus, the allowed eigenvalues of C
3
are:
=
i

3 1
2
, 1,
i

3 1
2
c) If | is a non-degenerate eigenvector of H, what can you say about C
3
|
If C

3
HC
3
= H, we know that [C
3
, H] = 0, i.e., C
3
commute with H, then:
HC
3
| = C
3
H| = EC
3
|
where E is the energy associated to H. Therefore, we can say that C
3
| is an eigenvector of
H with eigenvalue E.
3) a) Let W be a symmetry of the Hamiltonian, i.e., W

HW = H. Show that if | is a non-degenerate

eigenstate of H, then |A| = |W

AW|. Why is the caveat about non-degeneracy

needed?
Due to W is a symmetry of the Hamiltonian and | is a non-degenerate eigenstate of H, then
W| is also an eigenvector of H, as explained in part (2c). Therefore:
|A| = |W

AW|
The requeriment of the non-degeneracy state is needed because otherwise W| = |.
b) Show that if W

AW = A, then |A| = 0 for any non-degenerate eigenstate of H.

If W

AW = A, then WA+AW = 0, i.e., A and W anticommute. Then, using the result of

part (1), if A| = a| and W| = w|, a or w must be zero. Therefore:
|A| = 0
c) Use these results to argue that the CO
2
molecule cannot have a dipole moment in its ground
state. (More presicely, assuming that the electronic ground state is non-degenerate and that
the nuclei are xed according to the summetric structure of the CO
2
, show that a measurement
of the dipole moment operator

d = e

X is certain to give a zero value.)

Due to the structure of the CO
2
molecule, the position of the oxigen atoms have parity sim-
metry. Thus,

d =

d. Therefore, any measurement of the dipole moment operator in one

of the oxigen atoms will give us the value of the other oxigen atom, i.e., the value will be zero.
2
Shankar Ex. 12.2.1 Provide the steps linking
U[R]|x, y = |x y
z
, x
z
+y
to
x, y|U[R]| = (x +y
z
, y x
z
)
(Hint: Recall the derivation of equation (11.2.8) from equation (11.2.6)).
Recalling the derivation of equation (11.2.6):
|
U
= U[R]|
= U[R]
_

|x, yx, y|dx dy

=
_

|x y
z
, x
z
+yx, y|dx dy
Making a change in the variables:
x

= x y
z
, y

= x
z
+y
we can found the values of the old variables respect to the new ones:
x =
x

+y

z
1 +
2
z
, y =
y

z
1 +
2
z
where the denominator became one for an innitesimal approach. Replacing this values in the
previous relation:
U[R]| =
_

|x

, y

+y

z
, y

z
|dx

dy

, y

|U[R]| =
_

, y

|x

, y

+y

z
, y

z
|dx

dy

= x

+y

z
, y

z
|
x

, y

|U[R]| =
_
x

+y

z
, y

z
_
Shankar Ex. 12.2.3 Derive
L
z

by doing a coordinate transformation on eq (12.2.10), and also by direct method mentioned above.
Equation (12.2.10) shown the relation:
L
z
= x
_
i

y
_
y
_
i

x
_
= i
_
x

x
y

x
_
(1)
Express the coordinates as x = r cos and y = r sin and, found the partial derivative respect to
:

=
x

x
+
y

y
= r sin

x
+r cos

y
= y

x
+x

y
3
Replacing it in (1):
L
z
= i

Next, by direct method:

_
1 i

L
z
_
(r, ) = (r, )
(r, ) i

L
z
(r, ) = (r, )

+O[()
2
]
i

L
z
(r, ) =

L
z
(r, ) = i

5) a) Review the discussion on p.311 and ll the missing details leading from (12.2.25) to the commu-
tation relations [P
x
, L
z
] = iP
y
and [P
y
, L
z
] = iP
y
.
_
I +
i

z
L
z
__
I +
i

(
x
P
x
+
y
P
y
)
_ _
I
i

z
L
z
__
I
i

(
x
P
x
+
y
P
y
)
_
=
=
_
I +
i

z
L
z
__
I +
i

x
P
x
+
i

y
P
y
_ _
I
i

z
L
z
__
I
i

x
P
x

y
P
y
_
=
_
I +
i

x
P
x
+
i

y
P
y

x
L
z
P
x

2
+
i

z
L
z

y
L
z
P
y

2
_

_
I
i

x
P
x

y
P
y

x
L
z
P
x

2

i

z
L
z

y
L
z
P
y

2
_
= I +

x

z
P
x
L
z

2


x

z
L
z
P
x

2
+

y

z
P
y
L
z

2


y

z
L
z
P
y

2
= I +

x

2
[P
x
, L
z
] +

y

2
[P
y
, L
z
]
where comparing with the RHS of equation (12.2.25), we found that:
[P
x
, L
z
] = iP
y
, [P
y
, L
z
] = iP
y
b) Carry out a corresponding derivation to show that [L
x
, L
y
] = iL
z
.
From Shankar (12.4.1), we know that:
L
x
= Y P
z
ZP
y
L
y
= ZP
x
XP
z
L
z
= XP
y
Y P
x
4
then,
[L
x
, L
y
] = L
x
L
y
L
y
L
x
= (Y P
z
ZP
y
)(ZP
x
XP
z
) (ZP
x
XP
z
)(Y P
z
ZP
y
)
= Y P
z
ZP
x
Y P
z
XP
z
Z
2
P
y
P
x
+ZP
y
XP
z
ZP
x
Y P
z
+Z
2
P
x
P
y
+XP
z
Y P
z
XP
z
ZP
y
= Y P
x
(P
z
Z ZP
z
) +XP
y
(ZP
z
P
z
Z) Z
2
[P
x
, P
y
] +XY [P
z
, P
z
]
= (ZP
z
P
z
Z)(XP
y
Y P
x
)
= [Z, P
z
]L
z
= iL
z
6) Working in 2D, consider the family of rotations by angle about the point (a,0). Find the expression
for the operator G that is the generator for this family of operations.
The unitary operator that represents the rotation can be written as:
U[R()] = e

G
where G is the generator operator for this family of operators. Let us write down the rotation
matrix in 2D:
R() =
_
cos sin
sin cos
_
and the coordinates of the rotation about (a, 0) are: x

= (x + a) cos + y sin and y

= y cos
(x +a) sin . Now, the unitary operator acting on the state |r is given by:

(r) = r|U[R()]| = r|
_
I
i

Gd
_
| = (r)
i

Gd(r) (2)
But also:

(r) = (r)
(r)

d = (r)
_
(r)
x
x

(r)
y
y

_
d
where (r) = (x, y) = (x

cos y

sin a, x

sin +y

cos ), then:

(r) = (r)
_
y
(r)
x
x
(r)
y
_
d (3)
Finally, comparing (2) with (3) we found that:
G = i
_
y
(r)
x
x
(r)
y
_
5