Contents

0.1 Solutions Ch. 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

0.1 Solutions Ch. 11
1.
This result can be proved by simply expanding the right hand side
a [b; c] d + ac [b; d] + [a; c] db + c [a; d] b
= a(bc cb)d + ac(bd db) + (ac ca)db + c(ad da)b
= (abcd acbd) + (acbd acdb) + (acdb cadb) + (cadb cdab)
= abcd cdab
= [ab; cd]
2.
First consider
[A
+
; A
z
] =
h
a
y
+
a

a
y
+
a
+
a
y

i
=
h
a
y
+
a

; a
y
+
a
+
i

h
a
y
+
a

; a
y

i
Now using the expression from Prob. 1 we write
h
a
y
+
a

; a
y
+
a
+
i
= [ab; cd] = a [b; c] d + ac [b; d] + [a; c] db + c [a; d] b
where
a = a
y
+
; b = a

; c = a
y
+
and d = a
+
,
The only relevant commutatots that are non-zero are
[a; d] =
h
a
y
+
; a
+
i
= 1
and
h
a
y
+
a

; a
y
+
a
+
i
= a
y
+
h
a
y
+
; a
+
i
a

= a
y
+
(1) a

= a
y
+
a

= A
+
h
a
y
+
a

; a
y

i
= [ab; cd] = a [b; c] d + ac [b; d] + [a; c] db + c [a; d] b
a = a
y
+
; b = a

; c = a
y

and d = a

The only commutatot that is non-zero is

[b; c] =
h
a

; a
y

i
= 1
Thus
h
a
y
+
a

; a
y

i
= a
y
+
:1:a

= a
y
+
a

= A
+
Hence
[A
+
; A
z
] = 2A
+
iii
iv CONTENTS
Similarly,
[A

; A
z
] =
h
a
y

a
+
;

a
y
+
a
+
a
y

i
=
h
a
y

a
+
; a
y
+
a
+
i

h
a
y

a
+
; a
y

i
h
a
y

a
+
; a
y
+
a
+
i
: here the only commutator which is non-zero is
h
a
+
; a
y
+
i
= 1
Therefore h
a
y

a
+
; a
y
+
a
+
i
= a
y

a
+
h
a
y

a
+
; a
y

i
: here the only commutator which is non-zero is
h
a
y

; a

i
=
1
Therefore,
h
a
y

a
+
; a
y

i
= a
y

a
+
Thus
[A

; A
z
] = 2A

;
The correct denition of A
z
is
A
z
=
1
2

a
y
+
a
+
a
y

in which case
[A
+
; A
z
] = A
+
[A

; A
z
] = A

For the next question we note that

A
2
= A
2
x
+ A
2
y
+ A
2
z
hence

A
2
; A
z

=

A
2
x
+ A
2
y
; A
z

It is easy to show that

A
2
x
+ A
2
y
=
1
2
(A
+
A

+ A

A
+
)
Now
[A
+
A

; A
z
] = A
+
[A

; A
z
] + [A
+
; A
z
] A

= A
+
(A

) + (A
+
) A

= 0
Similarly,
[A

A
+
; A
z
] = 0
Hence

A
2
; A
z

= 0
For the nal part
A
2
x
+ A
2
y
=
1
2
(A
+
A

+ A

A
+
)
=
1
2
h
a
y
+
a

a
y

a
+
+ a
y

a
+
a
y
+
a

i
Since the only non-zero commutators are
h
a

; a
y

i
and
h
a
+
; a
y
+
i
, therefore,
A
2
x
+ A
2
y
=
1
2
h
a
y
+
a
+
a

a
y

+ a
y

a
+
a
y
+
i
=
1
2
h
a
y
+
a
+
(1 + a
y

) + a
y

(1 + a
y
+
a
+
)
i
=
1
2
h
a
y
+
a
+
+ a
y

+ a
y
+
a
+
a
y

+ a
y

a
y
+
a
+
i
A
2
z
=
1
4

a
y
+
a
+
a
y

a
y
+
a
+
a
y

=
1
4

a
y
+
a
+
a
y
+
a
+
a
y
+
a
+
a
y

a
y

a
y
+
a
+
+ a
y

a
y

0.1. SOLUTIONS CH. 11 v

Hence
A
2
x
+ A
2
y
+ A
2
z
=
1
2

a
y
+
a
+
+ a
y

+
1
4

a
y
+
a
+
a
y
+
a
+
+ a
y
+
a
+
a
y

+ a
y

a
y
+
a
+
+ a
y

a
y

=
1
2
(N
+
+ N

) +
1
4
(N
+
N
+
+ N
+
N

+ N

N
+
+ N

)
=
1
2
N +
1
4
N
2
=
1
2
N

1
2
N + 1