763313A QUANTUM MECHANICS II Solutions 1 Spring 2017

1. Let A and B be two matrices.

a) Assume that A and B are such matrices that the product AB is well-defined. Show
that (AB) = B A .
b) Show that for 2 2 matrices det(AB) = det(A) det(B). Does this result hold for
all square matrices?

Solution:
a) In order to prove that two matrices are equal, one has to show that they have the
same dimensions and their corresponding elements are the same. Now
!
X X
[(AB) ]ij = (AB)ij = Ajk Bki = Ajk Bki

k k
X X

= (A )kj (B )ik = (B )ik (A )kj = (B A )ij .

k k

b) Let us use the notation

   
a11 a12 b11 b12
A= , B= .
a21 a22 b21 b22

Direct calculation yields

  
 a11 a12 b11 b12 
det(AB) = 
a21 a22 b21 b22 
 
 a b + a12 b21 a11 b12 + a12 b22 
=  11 11
a21 b11 + a22 b21 a21 b12 + a22 b22 
= (a11 b11 + a12 b21 )(a21 b12 + a22 b22 )
(a11 b12 + a12 b22 )(a21 b11 + a22 b21 )
= a11 a22 (b11 b22 b12 b21 ) + a12 a21 (b12 b21 b11 b22 )
= (a11 a22 a12 a21 )(b11 b22 b12 b21 )
= det(A) det B .

Actually, this result holds for all square matrices. For a proof, see e.g. Linear
Algebra and its Applications, Lay, David C.

2. Calculate the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Pauli spin matrices

     
0 1 0 i 1 0
1 = , 2 = , 3 = .
1 0 i 0 0 1

1
Show that the Pauli matrices are hermitian.

Solution:
Let us first consider the matrix 1 . We obtain its eigenvalues from the characteristic
equation
 
 1 
 1  = 0
  2 1 = 0 = 1 .

That is, the eigenvalues of 1 are = 1 and = 1. We obtain the eigenvectors from
the equation     
0 1 x1 x
= 1 .
1 0 x2 x2
As we set = 1 and solve the equation, we obtain x2 = x1 . Thus the eigenvector
corresponding to = 1 is
 
1
|1i = x1 .
1

Setting its squared length equal to unity, we obtain

h1|1i = 1
 

x1
x1 x1 =1
x1
|x1 |2 (1 + 1) = 1
1
x1 = ei .
2
Let us choose the phase so that the first component of the normalized eigenvector is
real and positive. That is, let us choose = 0. Then the normalized eigenvector is
 
1 1
|1i = .
2 1
In a similar way, we obtain the normalized eigenvector corresponding to = 1. The
result is that
 
1 1
|1i = .
2 1
For the sake of convenience, let us repeat the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of 1 :
 
1 1
=1 : |1i = ,
2 1
 
1 1
= 1 : |1i = .
2 1

2
 We can solve the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of 2 like we solved the ones of 1 . The
result is that the eigenvalues of 2 are = 1 and = 1. The corresponding eigenvectors
are
   
1 1 1 1
|1i = , |1i = .
2 i 2 i

The eigenvalues of a diagonal matrix are its diagonal elements. Furthermore, its eigenvec-
tors are standard basis vectors (cf. Wikipedia, Diagonal matrix). Thus the eigenvalues
of 3 are = 1 and = 1 and the corresponding eigenvectors are
   
1 0
|1i = , |1i = .
0 1

It is a trivial task to show that the Pauli spin matrices are Hermitian. It can be done
by simply taking their hermitian conjugates, and verifying that they are the same as the
original matrices.

3. Calculate the expectation values h|i |i , i = 1, 2, for Pauli spin matrices 1 and 2 with
respect to an arbitrary state |i = 1 |1i + 2 |2i. Here |1i and |2i are the eigenvectors of
3 .

Solution:

The vector form for the given state is

 
1
|i = .
2

To get the bra-vector h| we take the hermitian conjugate of the above and obtain

|i = 1 2 .

The expectation values are then:

    
0 1 1
2
1 2


h|1 |i = = 1 2
1 0 2 1
= 1 2 + 2 1 = 2<(1 2 )

and
    
0 i 1
i2
1 2


h|2 |i = = 1 2
i 0 2 i1
= i1 2 + i2 1 = 2=(1 2 )

3
 This problem can also be solved more elegantly by using the braket-notation. Let us do
that. We start by calculating the expectation value for i :

h|i |i = (1 h1| + 2 h2|)i (1 |1i + 2 |2i)

= 1 1 h1|i |1i + 1 2 h1|i |2i + 2 1 h2|i |1i + 2 2 h2|i |2i

Next we have to find out how 1 and 2 operate on the states |1i and |2i. We can do this
by straight calculation:
    
0 1 1 0
1 |1i = = = |2i
1 0 0 1

    
0 1 0 1
1 |2i = = = |1i
1 0 1 0

    
0 i 1 0
2 |1i = = = i|2i
i 0 0 i

    
0 i 0 i
2 |2i = = = i|1i
i 0 1 0

Using the fact that the states |1i and |2i are orthonormal we are left with

h|i |i = 1 2 h1|i |2i + 2 1 h2|i |1i

We then obtain

h|1 |i = 1 2 + 2 1 = 2<(1 2 )

and

h|2 |i = i1 2 + i2 1 = 2=(1 2 )

4. Consider a three-dimensional vector space spanned by an orthonormal basis |1i, |2i, |3i.
Kets |i and |i are given by

|i = i|1i 2|2i i|3i, |i = i|1i + 2|3i .

Find all nine matrix elements of the operator A = |ih|, in this basis, and construct the
matrix representing A. Is it hermitian?

Solution:
Let us first construct the operator A using the given states. The bra-vector corresponding
to |i is
h| = ih1| + 2h3|

4
 The operator A is then

A = |ih| = (i|1i 2|2i i|3i)(ih1| + 2h3|)

= |1ih1| + 2i|1ih3| + 2i|2ih1| 4|2ih3| |3ih1| 2i|3ih3|

The matrix elements are Aij = hi|A|ji. We obtain:

A11 = 1 A12 = 0 A13 = 2i

A21 = 2i A22 = 0 A23 = 4
A31 = 1 A32 = 0 A33 = 2i

The matrix form for the operator A is then:

1 0 2i
A = 2i 0 4
1 0 2i

To check if the A is hermitian we take the hermitian conjugate

1 2i 1
A = 0 0 0 6= A
2i 4 2i

Clearly A is NOT hermitian.

5. The Hamiltonian for a certain two-level system is

H = (|1ih1| |2ih2| + |1ih2| + |2ih1|) ,

where |1i, |2i is an orthonormal basis and  is a number with the dimensions of energy.
Find its eigenvalues and eigenvectors (as linear combinations of |1i and |2i). What is the
matrix representing H with respect to this basis?

Solution:
The matrix form for the Hamiltonian is:
 
1 1
H = 
1 1

The eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian are obtained from the characteristic equation:

 
  
det |H I| = 
 = 0 2 2 = 0 = 2
  

5
 The corresponding eigenvectors are then:
    
1 1 x x
 =
1 1 y y
x
   
x+y
= 2
xy y

For = + 2 we obtain
x = (1 + 2)y, y C

and for = 2
x = (1 2)y, y C
The (non-normalized) eigenvectors are then
h i
|+ i = y (1 + 2)|1i + |2i
h i
| i = y (1 2)|1i + |2i
Next we must normalize the eigenvectors:
h i

|+ i y (1 + 2)|1i + |2i (1 + 2)|1i + |2i
|+i = p =r h i= q = A(a|1i + |2i)
h+ |+ i
|y|2 (1 + 2)2 h1|1i + h2|2i 2(2 + 2)

| i (1 2)|1i + |2i
|i = p = q = B(b|1i + |2i)
h | i 2(2 2)
Now we can calculate the Hamiltonian matrix elements in the basis {|+i, |i}:
 
H++ = h+|H|+i = A2  a2 h1|H|1i + ah1|H|2i + ah2|H|1i + h2|H|2i
2 2   2 i
= A (a + 2a 1) = (1 + 2) + 2(1 + 2) 1 = 2
2(2 + 2)
 
H+ = h+|H|i = AB abh1|H|1i + ah1|H|2i + bh2|H|1i + h2|H|2i
= AB(ab + a + b 1) = 0 = H+
 
2 2
H = h|H|i = B  b h1|H|1i + bh1|H|2i + bh2|H|1i + h2|H|2i
 i
= B 2 (b2 + 2b 1) = (1 2)2 + 2(1 2) 1 = 2

2(2 2)
In this basis the Hamiltonian is then

   
2 0 1 0
H = = 2 = 23
0 2 0 1
Hamiltonian has become a diagonal matrix with eigenvalues as diagonal elements.