A few Postulates and Theorems

of Quantum Mechanics.

December 31, 2014

P1. The state of a system is described by a function of the coordinates

and time. This function, called the state function or wave function
contains all the information that can be determined about the system.
The function is single valued, continuous, well behaved and
quadratically integrable. For continuum states, the quadratic integrability
requirement is omitted.
R
By quadratic integrability, we mean that the integral ||2 d must
exist; d is the volume element (dx in one dimension, dV in three
dimensions, etc. and the integral is over the entire space. In the state
vector representation, this is written as h|i.

P2. To every physical observable, B, there corresponds a linear Hermitian

To write down this operator, the classical expression for the
operator B.
observable is written in terms of the position and momenta coordinates
and then each position coordinate is replaced by the corresponding
operator qi and each momentum coordinate is replaced by the

. A Hermitian operator is one that has

corresponding operator i~ q
i
R
R
2 d = (B
1 ) 2 d
real eigenvalues and it satsfies the criterion 1 B
2 i = hB
1 |2 i.
or h1 |B|

 that correspond to
T1. Two eigenfunctions of a Hermitian operator B
that belong to
different eigenvalues are orthogonal; eigenfunctions of B
degenerate eigenvalues can always be chosen to be orthogonal.
By
of two functions 1 and 2 , we mean the following:
R orthogonality
1 2 d = 0 or h1 |2 i = 0
R
Putting the normalization condition i i d = 1 or hi |i i = 1
together with orthogonality of two differenct function, we can write a
general
R expression :
i j d = i,j , or hi |j i = i,j , where i,j = 1 if i = j and 0 otherwise.
Such a set of functions will be called an orthonormal set

P3. The only possible values that can results from measurements of the
physically observable property B are the eigenvalues bi in the equation
i = bi i , or B|
i i = bi |i i, where B
is the operator corresponding to
B
the property B. The eigenfunctions i are required to be well behaved.
T2. Let the functions g1 , g2 , ... be the complete set of eigenfunctions of
and let the function F be an eigenfunction of A

the Hermitian operator A

= kF ); then if F is expanded as
with P
eigenvalue k (i. e., AF
F = i ai gi , the only nonzero coefficients ai are those for which gi has
the eigenvalue k.

T4. The eigenfunctions of a Hermitian operator form a complete,

orthonormal set, and the eigenvalues are real.

 is any linear operator that represents a physically observable

P4.If B
form a complete set.
property, then the eigenfunctions i of B

P5.If (q, t) is the normalized state function of a system at time t, then

the average value of a physical
observable B at time t is given by the
R

or h|B|i..
expectation value hBi = Bd

P6. The time development of the state of an undisturbed

quantum-mechanical system is given by the time dependent Schroedinger
equation

is the Hamiltonian (that is, energy) operator of the

where H
i~ t
= H,
system.