Quantum Mechanics 215A Homework Solutions #5

Sam Pinansky
November 4, 2003

Average score: 35.7/40.

15. (5 Points) We know that
p(0)
x(t) = x(0) cos t + sin t (1)
m
So then, the correlation function is:
p(0)x(0)
hx(t)x(0)i = h0| x(0)2 cos t + sin t |0i (2)
m
Now we expand x(0) and p(0) in terms of a and a :
~
= h0| (a + a )2 cos t + i(a a )2 sin t |0i (3)
2m
~
= h0| aa cos t iaa sin t |0i (4)
2m
~ it
= e (5)
2m
where the aa a a and a a terms vanish in the expectation.
16. (10 Points)
(a) Lets say that we have a state |0i + |1i, with the constraint ||2 + ||2 = 1, then
r !
~
hxi = ( h0| + h1|) (a + a ) ( |0i + |1i) (6)
2m
r
~
= ( + ) (7)
2m
Going to polar coordinates, we can choose is real (since there is an arbitrary
phase
ambiguity), then applying the normalization constraint, we get that = 1 r2 , =
rei . Plugging in: r
~ p
= (2r 1 r2 cos ) (8)
2m

We can maximize each part individually, giving = 0, and r = 1/ 2. So the maximum
state is:
1
(|0i + |1i) (9)
2

1
 (b) The time evolved state is:
1
eit/2 |0i + e3it/2 |1i (10)
2
i. Schroedinger picture:
r
~ 1 it/2
hxi (t) = e h0| + e3it/2 h1| (a + a ) eit/2 |0i + e3it/2 |1i (11)
2m 2
r
~ 1 it
= e + eit (12)
2m 2
r
~
= cos t (13)
2m
ii. Heisenberg:
r
~ 1
hx(t)i = (h0| + h1|)((a + a ) cos t + i(a a ) sin t)(|0i + |1i) (14)
2m 2
r
~
= cos t (15)
2m
(c) We already know from the last part that

2 ~
hxi = cos2 t (16)
2m

so all we need now is x2 . Using the schroedinger picture:

2 1 ~
x = eit/2 h0| + e3it/2 h1| (a + a )2 eit/2 |0i + e3it/2 |1i (17)
2 2m
1 ~
= eit/2 h0| + e3it/2 h1| eit/2 |0i + 3e3it/2 |1i (18)
2 2m
~
= (19)
m
So therefore
~ ~
(x)2 = (2 cos2 t) = (1 + sin2 t) (20)
2m 2m
21. (5 Points) You should recall from previous quantum mechanics that the eigenfunctions of the
infinite square well are: r
2 nx
n (x) = sin (21)
L L
2 2 2
with energy En = ~2mLn
2 . You could also look these up in appendix A.2 in the textbook. If

the particle is known to be exactly at x = L/2, then its wave function (not properly normal-
ized) would be (x L/2). So measuring the energy of the particle would have probabilities

2
 | hn| x = L/2i |2 , or inserting an x basis:
Z r
2 nx
hn| x = L/2i = sin (x L/2) dx (22)
L L
r
2 n
= sin (23)
L 2
( q
2
L n odd
= (24)
0 n even

so the relative probability of being in a state n versus a state n0 is:

0 n even n odd
Pn
= 1 n and n0 even or odd (25)
Pn0

n odd n0 even

i.e. all states of even n cant occur, and all states of odd n have equal probability. The time
evolution is simply:
X 2 nx
(t) = (1)n eiEn t/~ sin (26)
L L
n odd
Note that this state is badly unrenormalized.
22. (5 Points) (Let = v0 , so I can easily reuse my solutions from last year). The Schroedinger
equation in this case is just
~ 2 d2
(x) = E (27)
2m dx2
Looking at this differential equation, we can see that there is an infinite jump in the potential
at x = 0. So any solution to this equation will need to have a similar jump in d2 /dx2 , i.e.
d/dx will be discontinuous. To obtain the discontinuity in 0 , we integrate the Schroedinger
equation around an epsilon neighborhood about the origin:
Z 2 Z Z
~2 d
dx (x)(x) dx = E (x) dx (28)
2m dx2

In the 0 limit, the first term is the change in the slope of at 0 by the fundamental
theorem of calculus, the second term is (0) from the definition of the delta function, and
the right term is zero since we restrict (x) to be finite at x = 0. This gives:
2m
0 (0+ ) 0 (0 ) = (0) (29)
~2
The matching condition of (0) is clearly that need to be continuous at zero. Assuming
E < 0 (which restricts our view to bound states), we have that in the region x < 0:

(x) = Aekx (30)

and in the region x > 0

(x) = Bekx (31)

3
 p
where k = 2mE/~2 . (The other exponential terms with opposite exponents are zero
from the requirement that the wavefunction not blow up at infinity). The continuity of (x)
is already set by setting B = A. Then the last matching condition at 0 (the one on the
derivatives) gives:
2m
0 (0+ ) 0 (0 ) = (0) (32)
~2
2m
2Ak = 2 A (33)
~
m
k = (34)
r ~2
2mE m
= (35)
~2 ~2
m2
E = 2 (36)
2~
Which is the only bound state energy. Normalizing :
r
m m
(x) = e ~2 |x| (37)
~2

Extra Problem (15 Points)

(a) We will make the reasonable guess that a simple rotation will decouple the coordinates:
X1 + X2
Xx = (38)
2
X1 X
Xy0 = 2 (39)
2
(Reason for the prime will be clear shortly). And the same for the momentum states:
P1 + P2
Px = (40)
2
P1 P2
Py = (41)
2
Inserting these into the hamiltonian, and simplifying CAREFULLY (many people made
mistakes here), we arrive at:

Px2 + Py2 1
H= + m 2 Xx2 + (1 + 4)Xy02 2 2hXy0 + 2h2 (42)
2m 2
So we have decoupled the hamiltonian. But considering the next parts, lets change
variables again by completing the square:
!2

Px2 + Py2 1 2h 8h 2
H= + m 2 Xx2 + (1 + 4) Xy + (43)
2m 2 1 + 4 1 + 4

4
 So now we let
2h
Xy = Xy0 (44)
1 + 4
and the hamiltonian is simply:

Px2 + Py2 1 1 4m 2 h
H= + m 2 Xx2 + m 02 Xy2 + (45)
2m 2 2 1 + 4

with 0 = 1 + 4. This is obviously decoupled.
(b) Clearly the Xs and P s commute with themselves since the original Xs and P s all
commuted with themselves, the only ones we need to check are [Xx , Px ] = i~, [Xx , Py ] = 0
(and the two that are almost identical).
1
[Xx , Px ] = [X1 + X2 , P1 + P2 ] (46)
2
1
= ([X1 , P1 ] + [X2 , P2 ]) (47)
2
1
= (2i~) (48)
2
= i~ (49)

1
[Xx , Py ] =[X1 + X2 , P1 P2 ] (50)
2
1
= ([X1 , P1 ] [X2 , P2 ]) (51)
2
=0 (52)

where weve dropped all zero terms. The additive constant in the definition of Xy obvi-
ously wont change anything since constants commute with everything. So they satisfy
the standard commutation relations. The hamiltonian looks like two separate decoupled
harmonic oscillators, one with frequency , one with frequency 0 , and an extra energy
offset of 4m 2 h/(1 + 4).
(c) Using the one dimensional oscillator as an example, we take:
r
m Px
ax = Xx + i (53)
2~ m
r
m Px
ax = Xx i (54)
2~ m
r
m 0 Py
ay = Xy + i (55)
2~ m 0
r
m 0 Py
ay = Xy i (56)
2~ m 0

5
 These must satisfy the standard commutation relations [ax , ax ] = 1 etc.. since the Xs
and P s satisfy the standard ones. We can rewrite the hamiltonian in terms of these
operators, (specifically Nx = ax ax and Ny = ay ay ) just as in the 1-d case:

1 0 1 4m 2 h
H = ~ Nx + + ~ Ny + + (57)
2 2 1 + 4

Since H is linear in both Nx and Ny , it can be diagonalized in both simultaneously. Let

|nx , ny i denote a simultaneously eigenket of both Nx and Ny , such that Nx |nx , ny i =
nx |nx , ny i and Ny |nx , ny i = ny |nx , ny i, (or equivalently by taking two different 1-d
harmonic oscialltors and taking their tensor product |nx i |xy i |nx ny i). Then these
states are also eigenstates of the full hamiltonian with eigenvalues:

1 1 4m 2 h
Enx ,ny = ~ nx + + ~ 0 ny + + (58)
2 2 1 + 4

We can construct the full space of eigenstates by multiple applications of the raising
operators:
(ax )nx (ay )ny
|nx , ny i = p |0, 0i (59)
nx ! ny !
properly normalized. The ground state wavefunction is simply the multiplication of the
ground state wave functions of the two oscillators:
p !
m 0 1 x2x m 1 x2y m 0
hxx , xy | 0, 0i = exp exp (60)
~ 2 ~ 2 ~

(d) You can have degeneracy in the energy only if Enx ,ny = En0x ,n0y for some pairs (nx , ny )
and (n0x , n0y ). Therefore we want:

1 1 1 1
~ nx + + ~ 0 ny + = ~ n0x + + ~ 0 n0y + (61)
2 2 2 2
0
0
nx + 1 + 4ny = nx + 1 + 4ny (62)
n0 nx
1 + 4 = x (63)
ny n0y

Thus the only way this can occur is if 1 + 4 is a rational number. In the special
case = 0 you simply have an isotropic 2-d harmonic osscillator, where every state is
degenerate except the ground state.