PHYS 436 Modern Physics - Assignment 1

February 4, 2018

This homework is due at the beginning of lecture on Wednesday, January 17, with a quiz
Friday, January 19.
Describe your reasoning for each answer using both words and equations. I strongly encourage
discussions with peers (and me) about the physics of these problems and how to approach them. However,
you must perform all calculations and write up your solutions on your own. You do not need to re-derive
results from this class, the book, other subjects (e.g. E & M), or previous assignments. Please do look this
kind of thing up (books, google, wiki, or ask me), but make sure to quote your source, because science.

Skills
• Identify particle type from a multi-particle wavefunction.

• Interpret the probability density of a multi-particle wavefunction.

• Calculate expectation values with a multi-particle wavefunction.

• Construct a normalized multi-particle wavefunction for bosons, fermions, and distinguishable particles
using single-particle wavefunctions.

• Separate variables.

Systems
• A generic multi-particle wavefunction.

• 1D free particle with clamped boundaries: wavefunctions, wavenumbers, energies.

• 2 free particles with a radially dependent interaction potential.

Warmup questions
1. Consider the multi-particle wavefunction Ψ = Ae−ik(x1 −x2 )−iωt describing a state of two identical
particles of mass m0 co-localized in a large 1D “box” such that −1 < xi < 1. Here xi (units of meters)
is the location of particle i, and A is a normalization constant.

(a) (10 points) What is |A|? Include units and make sure they’re sensible!
(b) (5 points) Does this wavefunction describe indistinguishable particles? Explain.
(c) (5 points) What is the expected kinetic energy of particle 2?
(d) (10 points) What is the RMS separation between the particles? Include units.

Could you generalize this analysis to the case of more particles, different wavefunctions, different
“boxes”?

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 2. Consider a system of 3 fermions.

(a) (10 points) Write down a normalized three-particle wavefunction ψ(x1 , x2 , x3 ) in terms of (or-
thonormal) single-particle wavefunctions φs (xi ) (where s is a quantum number describing the
state and xi is the position of the ith particle) in the following configuration: one particle in
state s = 7, one in state s = 8, and one in state s = 27.
(b) (5 points) Show that this wavefunction must be zero if two particles are in state s = 7.
(c) (0 points) Great! Let’s never do this again! (See “Slater Determinant States” for a generalization
to many particles.
(d) (1 point bonus): Can you construct a multi-particle state for “anyons” with an exchange phase
shift other than 0 or π?

Two identical particles in a box

3. Consider two identical fermions in a 1D infinite square well spanning 0 < xi < 1, with xi being the
location of the ith particle. Assume the spin degree of freedom of both particles is frozen in the ↑
state (i.e. so we can ignore it for now).

(a) (10 points) Write down the (normalized) ground state wavefunction of the combined two-particle
system. You can ignore the time dependence for this, and please choose an overall phase so that
the real part is maximized.
(b) (10 points) Plot the real part of this wavefunction over the range 0 < x1 < 1 and 0 < x2 < 1.
What is the separation between the two particles in their most probable configuration? You can
estimate this from the graph if you like (I recommend wolfram’s contour plot for this).
(c) (5 points) What would be the separation between these particles (also in their most probable
configuration) if they were bosons in the ground state?

Could you apply a similar analysis with a harmonic oscillator potential? H-atom potential? What
about the 2-particle first excited state? Second excited state?

A pair of particles in free space (super deep result)

4. Consider two particles in free space, one having mass m1 and the other having mass m2 . Without
specifying the type of interaction (e.g. “Coulomb”), assume the potential exerted by one particle on the
other is a function only of their separation r ≡ r1 − r2 . In this case, defining a second (center of mass)
coordinate R ≡(m1 r1 + m2 r2 )/(m1 + m2 ), the Schrödinger equation will separate in a surprisingly
awesome (and familiar) way.1

(a) (10 points) Show that r1 = R+(µ/m1 )r, r2 = R−(µ/m2 )r, and then that ∇1 = (µ/m2 )∇R +∇r ,
where µ ≡ m1 m2 /(m1 + m2 ) is the usual reduced mass. Hint: if b and c are functions of x, what
is ∂x f (b, c)?
(b) (10 points) Show that the time-independent Schrödinger equation becomes

~2 ~2 2
 
2
− ∇ − ∇ + V (r) ψ = Eψ
2(m1 + m2 ) R 2µ r

(c) (10 points) Assume a separable solution to derive two simpler differential equations: one describ-
ing the hybrid “particle” center-of-mass motion and the other describing its internal dynamics.
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Life hack: This may seem obvious, but if you’re not fluid with vector stuff, try writing everything out in terms of vertical
3-tall vectors. Then everything is just 3 simultaneous “familiar” equations.

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 Yes this is awesome. A similar argument is no doubt at work everywhere there is a center-of-mass
behavior with internal dynamics: the proton “particle” in this problem, larger nuclei, larger molecules,
astronauts, planets, black holes (?).

Bonus Question (worth a missed homework): If the particles in the above question are a proton and
an electron, you have already solved for the internal states. This means you can now also feel confident
describing the “particle like” motion of the complete atom using a “standard” approach – all of your intuition
applies, just as for any other particle! Also recall that, for the hydrogen atom, the integer-spin orbital
angular momentum states emerged without assuming any structure of the constituent particles. With this
in mind, what equation / collection of particle(s) might describe the internal dynamics of an electron?
Note: for these bonus questions, please just discuss solutions / ideas with me in person until I believe in
them. Do not include a solution with your homework.