DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

DEPARTMENTAL WRITTEN EXAMINATION

FALL, 2004

UPDATED SOLUTION SET : 9/28/04

#1 : UNDERGRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: A cannonball is dropped from the top of a tower of height h

located at a northerly latitude of . Assuming the cannonball is initially
at rest with respect to the tower, and neglecting air resistance, calculate its
deflection (magnitude and direction) due to (a) centrifugal and (b) Coriolis
forces by the time it hits the ground. Evaluate for the case h = 100 m,
= 45 . The radius of the Earth is Re = 6.4 106 m.

1
#1 : UNDERGRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: The equation of motion for a particle near the Earths surface is

r = 2 r g0 r ( r ) ,

where = z , with = 2/(24 hrs) = 7.3 105 rad/s. Here, g0 =

GMe /Re2 = 980 cm/s2 . We use a locally orthonormal coordinate system
{r , , } and write
r = x + y + (Re + z) r ,

where Re = 6.4 106 m is the radius of the Earth. Expressing z in terms of

our chosen orthonormal triad,

z = cos r sin ,

where = 2 is the polar angle, or colatitude. Since the height of the

tower and the deflections are all very small on the scale of Re , we may regard
the orthonormal triad as fixed and time-independent. (In general, these unit
vectors change as a function of r.) Thus, we have r ' x + y + z r, and
we find

z r = y cos + (x cos + z sin ) y sin r

( r ) = 2 Re sin cos 2 Re sin2 r ,

where we neglect the O(z) term in the second equation, since z  Re .

The equation of motion, written in components, is then

x = 2 cos y + 2 Re sin cos

y = 2 cos x 2 sin z
z = g0 + 2 sin y + 2 Re sin cos .

While these (inhomogeneous) equations are linear, they also are coupled,
so an exact analytical solution is not trivial to obtain. Fortunately, the
deflections are small, so we can solve this perturbatively. We write x =
x(0) + x, etc., and solve to lowest order by including only the g0 term on
the RHS. This gives z (0) (t) = z0 12 g0 t2 , along with x(0) (t) = y (0) (t) = 0.
We then substitute this solution on the RHS and solve for the deflections,

2
obtaining

x(t) = 21 2 Re sin cos t2

y(t) = 31 g0 sin t3
z(t) = 21 2 Re sin2 t2 .

The deflection along and r is due to the centrifugal term, while that along
is due to the Coriolis term. (At higher order, the two terms interact and
the deflection in any given direction cant uniquely be associated to a single
fictitious force.) To find the deflection
q of an object dropped from a height h,
solve z (0) (t ) = 0 to obtain t = 2h/g0 for the drop time, and substitute.
For h = 100 m and = 2 , find x(t ) = 17 cm south (centrifugal) and
y(t ) = 1.6 cm east (Coriolis).

3
#2 : UNDERGRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: Consider the reaction + + n K + + 0 . The rest masses of

the particles are m = 140 MeV/c2 , mn = 940 MeV/c2 , mK = 494 MeV/c2 ,
and m = 1115 MeV/c2 . What is the threshold kinetic energy of the pion
to create a kaon at an angle of 90 in the lab frame, in which the neutron is
at rest?

4
#2 : UNDERGRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: We conserve 4-momentum in the lab frame:

p + pn = pK + p ,

where p = (p0 , p1 , p2 , p3 ) = (E/c, p) is the 4momentum. We use a (, +, +, +)

metric, in which case the scalar product of two 4-vectors is a b a b =
a0 b0 + a p, and is (inertial) frame-independent. For a particle of mass m,
then, p p = m2 c2 (evaluate in rest frame). Thus,

p p = (p + pn pK ) (p + pn pK )
= m2 c2 m2n c2 m2K c2 + 2 p pn 2 p pK 2 pn pK
= m2 c2 .

In the lab frame,

p = (E /c, p ) , pn = (mn c, 0) , pK = (EK /c, pK ) ,

so p pn = E mn , p pK = E EK /c2 + p pK , and pn pK = EK mn .
Substituting these dot products into our earlier formula, we obtain

m2 c2 = m2 c2 m2n c2 m2K c2 2mn E +2mn EK +2E EK /c2 2p pK .

Were told the lab frame angle between pion and kaon is 90 , so we set
p pK = 0 and obtain

m2 c4 m2 c4 m2n c4 m2K c4 + 2EK mn c2

E =
2(mn c2 EK )

The minimum of E is achieved when EK takes the smallest possible value,

which is EK = mK c2 . Finally, then,

m2 m2 m2n m2K + 2mn mK

E = c2 = 1149 MeV ,
2(mn mK )

and so the threshold kinetic energy of the pion is

T = E m c2 = 1009 MeV .

5
#3 : UNDERGRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

PROBLEM: The figure below shows a toroidal permanent magnet that has
been cut in half, forming two horse shoe shaped magnets. The magnets are
characterized by a magnetization M , major radius R, and minor radius a,
where a  R. Determine the force of attraction between the two halves.

6
#3 : UNDERGRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM
4
SOLUTION: We have H = c Jfree = 0, as well as

H = B 4 M ' 0 .

That B = 0 is from Maxwell; the result M ' 0 follows from a  R,

since the magnetization is uniform in magnitude and very slowly varying in
direction. Thus, H is a constant. By symmetry, H should point H along M ,
i.e. in the azimuthal direction. But with j = E /t = 0 we have H d` = 0,
and hence H = 0. Therefore, B = 4 M .

We have that Bn n B is continuous across interfaces (with no surface

currents), hence Bn is continuous in the gap. The energy density in the
electromagnetic field is B 2 /8, hence for a separation x the field energy in
the gap regions is
B2
U (x) = 2 a2 x ,
8
where a2 x is the volume of each gap region. The force is then
U
F = = 41 B 2 a2
x
= 4 2 a2 M 2 ,

where the sign tells us that the force is attractive.

7
#4 : UNDERGRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

PROBLEM: A point charge Q lies a distance b above the center of a grounded

conducting sphere of radius a.

(a) Find the potential (r, , ) at an arbitrary point located outside the
sphere. (Take to be the polar angle, with = 0 being along z .) Hint:
Use the method of images.

(b) How much work is required to move the point charge Q from r = b to
r = ?

8
#4 : UNDERGRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

SOLUTION: This problem is conveniently solved using the method of images.

(a) An equipotential = 0 is achieved over the entire sphere by placing

an image charge of strength Q = (a/b) Q a distance a2 /b from the
center, also at = 0. Even if we did not remember these values,
they could easily be determined by supposing the image charge lies
a distance d from the center, and then demanding that the potential
vanish anywhere on the surface of the sphere:

Q Q2
(R, , ) = + =0 .
a2 + b2 2ab cos a2 + d2 2ad cos
After pushing one radical over to the other side of the equation, invert-
ing both sides, and squaring, one then separately equates the constant
terms on both sides as well as the coefficients of cos . This yields two
equations:

b Q2 = d Q2
(a2 + b2 ) Q2 = (a2 + d2 ) Q2 ,

which yield the familiar results Q = aQ/b and d = a2 /b. The poten-
tial everywhere is then
Q Q
(r, , ) = q .
r2 + b2 2br cos br 2


+ a2 2br cos
a

(b) It is tempting to compute the potential due to the image charge at Q,

 Qa Qa
image (r)=0 = = image (b) = ,
br a2 b2 a2
multiply by Q, and conclude that W = aQ2 /(b2 a2 ) is the work
required. This is wrong! The reason is that the image charge moves
with Q. To get the right answer, integrate F dr, where F is the radial
component of the force, F = QE . The electric field due to the image
at Q is 
image (r)  Qar
E(r) = = 2 .
r 
b=r (r a2 )2

9
Next we multiply by Q and then integrate to get the work done on
the charge:
Z Z
2 r dr a Q2
W = Q dr E(r) = a Q = .
(r2 a2 )2 2(b2 a2 )
b b

The wrong answer we obtained by the simplistic analysis is a factor of

two too large.

10
#5 : UNDERGRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

PROBLEM: An unpolarized beam of s = 0, ` = 1 atoms (never mind what

kind) is passed through a Stern-Gerlach apparatus which uses a strong mag-
netic field gradient along the x-axis to separate the beam into three parts.
Even though the beam is separated cleanly, the deflections are very small.
Two of the separated beams are blocked so that only the atoms with x
component of angular momentum equal to h leave the apparatus. The
resulting beam direction is along the z-axis.

Next, a similar apparatus with field gradient in the u direction separates

the unblocked beam into three components. The u direction is in the x y
plane at an angle from the x axis. (You may assume that u is between
the positive x direction and the positive y direction.) Detectors are set up
to measure the number of atoms per second in each of the three beams.
Compute these intensities in terms of Iunpolarized ,the intensity of the initial
beam which entered the first Stern-Gerlach apparatus, and the angle .

11
#5 : UNDERGRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

SOLUTION: The formula for the answer can be easily written:

2
I+ = 13 Iunpolarized  u+ x 


2
I0 = 31 Iunpolarized  u0 x 


2
I = 31 Iunpolarized  u x 



where x+ , for example, is the eigenstate of the Lx operator with eigenvalue

+h. The problem is computing the eigenvectors. An alternative solution is
to use rotation matrices. This takes about the same amount of calculation
but is a bit trickier.

Simply solving the equation for the eigenvector Lx x = hx gives

  1 1

x = 2
2
1

Now compute the Lu operator:

0 ei

0
h i
Lu = cos Lx + sin Ly = e 0 ei
2 0 ei 0

Now again simply solve the three eigenvector problems like Lu u+ = hx+
yielding
i i i
  1 e   1 2e   1 e
u+ = 2 , u0 = 0 , u = 2 .
2 2 i 2
ei 2e ei

Plugging these into the formula above, we can compute the intensities:
1 2
I+ = 12 Iunpolarized (1 cos )
1 2
I0 = 6 Iunpolarized sin
I = 1
12 Iunpolarized (1 + cos )2

Check that it adds up to 13 Iunpolarized and that it agrees with the rotation
matrix calulation.

12
#6 : UNDERGRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

PROBLEM: The ground state of the hydrogen atom is split due to the elec-
tromagnetic interaction between the spin of the electon and the spin of the
proton. The term in the Hamiltonian for this spin-spin interaction can be
taken as
4 e2 gp
Hhyperfine = (r) S I ,
3 me mp c2
where S is the spin operator for the electron, I is the spin operator for
the proton, and gp = 5.58 is the gyromagnetic ratio of the proton. The
calculation is in CGS units for which = e2 /hc ' 1/137. The unperturbed
hydrogen ground state is

100 (r, , ) = (a3B )1/2 er/aB ,

where aB = h2 /me e2 = h/ me c is the Bohr radius. (me = 0.511 MeV/c2

and mp = 938 MeV/c2 ).

(a) What quantum numbers describe the perturbed energy eigenstates?

Calculate the energy shifts for each of these states, giving your answer
in eV.

(b) Compute the energy shift in eV if a magnetic field of 100 Gauss is ap-
plied. Your answer need only be accurate to 10% so a weak field
approximation is valid. (Recall that the Bohr magneton is B =
eh/2me c = 0.579 108 eV / Gauss and a nuclear magneton is
N = eh/2mp c is smaller by the ratio of the masses.)

13
#6 : UNDERGRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

SOLUTION: We solve this problem using first order perturbation theory.

(a) The ground state of hydrogen has a spin- 12 electron coupled to a spin- 12
proton, yielding a total angular momentum of j = 0 or j = 1. The
quantum numbers of the ground state are n = 0 (principal electronic
quantum number), s = 21 , l = 12 , and j = 0 or j = 1. The energy shift,
in first order perturbation theory, is

  
E = 0 Hhyperfine 0
4 e2 gp 1 
j(j + 1) 23 h2

= 3
3 me mp c2 aB
2 e2 gp m3e c3 3 
j(j + 1) 32

=
3 me mp c2 h
m 
e
= 32 gp 4 (me c2 ) j(j + 1) 32 .
 
mp
Thus,
 1 4  0.51 
2
Ej=1 Ej=0 = 3 (5.6) (0.51 MeV) 2
137 940
= 5.84 106 eV .

Note that

(S + I )2 S 2 I 2
1
 
SI = 2
= j(j + 1) 32 h2 .
1
 
2

(b) We compute the first order splitting by the Zeeman Hamiltonian,

HZeeman = B B z . (Assume without loss of generality that the mag-
netic field is along the z-axis.) The problem here is that the eigenstates
of J 2 and J z are linear combinations of products of spin wavefunctions
for the electron and proton. Explicitly, we have
   
j = 1, mj = +1 = ms = +1, mi = +1
j = 1, mj = 0 = 1 ms = +1, mi = 1 + 1 ms = 1, mi = +1
     
2 2
   
j = 1, mj = 1 = ms = 1, mi = 1
j = 0, mj = 0 = 1 ms = +1, mi = 1 1 ms = 1, mi = +1 .
     
2 2

14
The first order (in B) energy shifts are then B B, 0, B B, and 0,
respectively, for these four states. In other words,

Ej,mj = B B mj .

With B = 5.79 109 eV/G, the shift in a 100 G field is about

0.579 eV.

15
#7 : UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: The surface tension of a liquid is the work required to increase

the free surface area of the liquid by one unit of area. For pure water in
contact with air at normal pressure, the surface tension has a constant value
0 at all temperatures for which the water is a liquid. If certain surfactant
molecules are added to the water, they remain on the free surface and alter
the surface tension. For water of area A containing N such molecules, one
can measure this effect. Experiments show

2a N 2
   
N kB T
=
A T (A b)2 A A

and  
T Ab
= ,
A N kB
where a and b are constants, and kB is Boltzmanns constant. Find an
expression for (A, T ). Your result should reduce to that for pure water
(i.e. 0 ) in the limit N 0.

16
#7 : UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: We write
   

d(A, T ) = dT + dA
T A A T

and integrate:
Z  

(A, T ) = dA + f (T )
A T
( )
2aN 2
Z
N kB T
= dA + f (T )
(A b)2 A3

N kB T aN 2
= + 2 + f (T ) .
Ab A

Holding A constant, we take the differential:

 N kB
d  = dT + f 0 (T ) dT,

A Ab

and comparing with (T /)A = (A b)/N kB , we find f 0 (T ) = 0, or

f (T ) = f0 is a constant, which is determined from the condition setting
(N = 0, T ) = 0 , yielding f0 = 0 . Thus,

N kB T aN 2
(A, T ) = + 2 + 0 .
Ab A

We can derive the same result by first integrating with respect to tem-
perature:
Z  

(A, T ) = dT + g(A)
T A
Z
N kB
= dT + g(A)
Ab

N kB T
= + g(A),
Ab

17
 h i1
where we have used (/T )A = (T /)A . We next determine the
unknown function g(A):
 
N kB T
= g 0 (A)
A T (A b)2
2a N 2
 
N kB T
= .
(A b)2 A A

Thus,
aN 2
g(A) = + g0 ,
A2
where the constant g0 is determined from the limit

lim = g0 = 0 .
N 0

We thus recover the earlier result for (A, T ).

18
#8 : UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: The figure below illustrates a simple model of the surface of a two-
dimensional solid confined to a square lattice. The two ends of the surface
are N lattice sites apart, with N  1. The surface energy is proportional to
the surface length, with energy > 0 per lattice length. The surface height
can change by at most one lattice length at a time. (Overlaps are forbidden,
so that outward-pointing surface normals never point downward.) Thus, the
surface can be modeled by a Hamiltonian
N
X
H= (1 + i2 ) ,
i=1

where i = +1, 0, or 1 depending on whether the ith column contains a

step up, no step, or a step down for the surface.

(a) Explain why this is Hamiltonian properly reflects the surface energy
described above.

(b) Find the partition function Z(T ) for the surface.

(c) Find the free energy F (T ) for the surface, and sketch its temperature
dependence. Physically interpret your result in the limits kB T 
and kB T  .

(d) Find the total length of the surface as a function of temperature, and
sketch its temperature dependence.

19
#8 : UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: The surface consists of N horizontal steps, N upward steps,

and N downward steps. The degrees of freedom the system possesses are
whether after each horizontal step the surface goes upward, downward, or
remains at the same level. Let us represent these three possibilities by a
scalar variable = +1, 0, or 1, respectively. We further label each step
by a subscript i {1, . . . , N }.

(a) With H = i (1 + i2 ), the energy is written as a sum over the N

P
columns. The contribution from each column is if = 0, i.e. if
there is no step, and 2 if = 1, i.e. if there is a step in either
direction. Since each step adds an extra lattice length to the length of
the surface, this Hamiltonian properly accounts for the surface energy
of per lattice length.

(b) The partition function is a sum over all configurations. This may be
represented as a product over the steps, viz.
N X
1
2
Y
H/kB T
Z = Tr e = e(1+i )/kB T
i=1 i =1

N
= eN /kB T 1 + 2 e/kB T .

(c) The free energy is

F = kB T ln Z
= N N kB T ln 1 + 2 e/kB T .

In the low temperature regime kB T  , we have F N , which is the

energy of a flat surface, whose length is the minimum value possible,
N . In the high temperature regime kB T  , we have N kB T ln 3,
which reflects the fact that the surface is completely randomized, with
3N equally probable configurations yielding an entropy S = N kB ln 3,
as T . The entropy term T S dominates the average energy E
at these high temperatures.

20
(d) The total surface length is L = N + N + N = N (1 + 2p), where p
is the probability for an upward or downward step:

e/kB T
p= .
1 + 2 e/kB T

Thus, hLiT 0 = N , while hLiT = 53 N .

21
#9 : UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICAL ESTIMATES

PROBLEM: Suppose physicists had invented a rocket engine that was 100%
efficient at converting a planets rest mass energy into a change in its orbital
energy around the Sun. What fraction of the Earths rest mass would be
required to raise its orbital energy to beyond the escape velocity of the solar
system? You may need one or more of the following constants:

MSun = 2.0 1030 kg , MEarth = 5.8 1024 kg

aEarth = 1.5 1011 m , G = 6.7 1011 N m2 /kg2

22
#9 : UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICAL ESTIMATES

SOLUTION: The potential energy of Earth in the Suns gravitational field is

GMS ME
U = ,
aE
where aE is the radius of the Earths orbit, i.e. the Earth-Sun distance.
The Earths kinetic energy is T = 21 ME VE2 , where, balancing centrifugal and
gravitational forces,
ME V E GMS ME GMS
= VE2 = .
aE a2E aE

This gives T = 21 U , which follows from the virial theorem for homogeneous
potentials: 2T = k U , where k is the degree of homogeneity (i.e. U (r) = Ark ;
k = 1 for Keplers problem) and the bars denote time averages. (For
circular orbits, the time averages are the same as the instantaneous values.)
The total energy of the Earth is then
GMS ME
EE = .
2aE

To liberate the Earth from the Suns gravity and place it in an unbound
orbit would require that E(r = ) 0. Turning a fraction of the Earths
rest mass into pure energy would work if
GMS ME GMS
ME c2 = = ' 4.9 109 .
2aE 2aE c2

23
#10 : UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICAL ESTIMATES

PROBLEM: The mass of the Sun is about M ' 2.0 1033 g, its luminosity
is L ' 3.8 1033 erg/s, and its radius is R ' 7.0 1010 cm. The Sun
is composed mostly of hydrogen. The central temperature of the Sun is
approximately kB Tcore ' 1 keV. You may also find it useful to recall that
one mole of hydrogen has a mass of about 1.0 g.

(a) How long does it take a photon to diffuse from the center of the Sun to
its surface? Hint: Assume photon-electron scattering dominates over
all other photon scattering mechanisms. The Thomson cross section is
T ' 6.7 1025 cm2 . Now, if only you knew the density of electrons...

(b) Estimate the total internal energy of the Sun. Then estimate the time
scale for energy loss in the sun if all nuclear reactions were somehow
shut off. Is this result very different from that you found in part (a) ?
Why or why not?

24
#10 : UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICAL ESTIMATES

SOLUTION:

(a) The photons diffuse, making a random walk of step length ` = 1/nT ,
where n is the electron density. We call ` the photon mean free
path. A random
walk of N steps of size ` extends an RMS distance
of d(N ) = N `. We set d = R and find that each photon undergoes
an average of N = (R /`)2 scatterings before it escapes the Sun. How
long does this take? Each step takes a time `/c, so
2
R 2
n T R
t = .
`c c
To estimate this, we need the electron density n. The number of
electrons in the Sun should be the same as the number of protons, and
if the Sun is mostly hydrogen,
M N A M
n' 4
= 4 3
= 8.4 1023 cm3 ,
3
3 R mp 3 R 1g

where mp is the mass of the proton, and NA = 6.021023 is Avogadros

number. Plugging this into the earlier expression, one finds

t ' 1.6 1011 sec = 5,300 yrs .

(b) The number density of protons and electrons is n, and the energy scale
per particle is kB T . Thus, the total internal energy is approximated
as
3
Uint 34 R 2n kB T = 2 1048 erg .
Dividing this by the luminosity gives the time scale
Uint
t = 5 1014 s = 15 Myr .
L

The results are very different because there is relatively very little
energy in the radiation field in the Sun. Most of the Suns energy is
kinetic energy of its protons and electrons.

25
#11 : GRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: Two identical balls of mass m are connected by springs as depicted

in the diagram below. The spring constants are 3k and 2k, respectively, and
the spring at the left is attached to a fixed wall. All motion is in one
dimension, along the axes of the springs.

(a) Choose as generalized coordinates the displacements of the springs

from their equilibrium lengths. Write the Lagrangian for the system.

(b) Write the equations of motion.

(c) Find the frequencies of the normal modes of oscillation.

26
#11 : GRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: Relative to the wall, the displacement of the left mass is a1 + x1 ,

and that of the right mass is a1 + a2 + x1 + x2 , where a1,2 are the equilibrium
lengths of the two springs. (The equilibrium lengths do not enter in to the
problem, so it is fine to assume they are identical.)

(a) The Lagrangian is:

L = 21 mx21 + 12 m(x1 + x2 )2 23 k x21 k x22 .

(b) The motion follows from the Euler-Lagrange equations,

 
d L L
= .
dt xi xi

This gives two coupled equations:

2m x1 + m x2 = 3k x1
m x1 + m x2 = 2k x2 .

(c) There are several equivalent ways to obtain the normal modes. Heres
a simple way to do so for the special case of N = 2 coupled oscilla-
tors. We add together the equations of motion, multiplying the second
equation by an undetermined coefficient, . This gives

m (2 + ) x1 + (1 + ) x2 = 3k x1 2k x2 .

We now demand that the ratio of the coefficients of x2 and x1 on the

LHS be the same as the ratio of the coefficients of x2 and x1 on the
RHS. This means
1+ 2
= ,
2+ 3
which is a quadratic equation: 22 + 3 = ( 1)(2 + 3) = 0. The
roots are = +1 and = 32 . The above equation of motion may
now be cast as
3 k
x1 + 23 x2 = x1 + 32 x2 ,


2+ m

27
from which we glean that the two (unnormalized) normal modes are

y1 = x1 + 32 x2 ( = +1)
y2 = x1 x2 ( = 23 ) .

The corresponding eigenfrequencies are given by

2
3 2 0
= +1
2 0
= =
2+
6 0 = 23 ,
2

p
where 0 k/m.

28
#12 : GRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: Consider a particle of charge q moving in the (x, y) plane, and

under the influence of a magnetic field B = Bz and an external electric
potential (r). Choose a gauge in which A = Bx y . In the large B limit,
the inertial term in the equations of motion, mr, can be neglected. This is
equivalent to assuming the mass to be negligibly small (m 0), which you
are to henceforth assume.

(a) Find the Lagrangian for the particle, in the m 0 limit.

(b) Identify a canonically conjugate coordinate-momentum pair and ob-

tain the Hamiltonian function H. Verify that Hamiltons equations
produce the expected result.

(c) Solve completely for the motion of a pair of equal particles (with q = e)
moving in the presence of an external electric field E = E x, using a
convenient choice of generalized coordinates. You should assume that
the electric field from each charge is confined to the (x, y) plane and
that the charges interact via a two-dimensional Coulomb potential
(r) = 2q ln r.

29
#12 : GRADUATE CLASSICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: We adopt the gauge A = Bx y .

(a) The Lagrangian is

q
L= A r q
c
qB
= xy q (x, y) .
c

(b) Let us choose y as a coordinate. Its conjugate momentum is

L qBx
p= = .
y c
Note that there is only one canonically conjugate pair: {y, p}. The
x-coordinate is proportional to the y-momentum: x = cp/qB.
The Hamiltonian is
 cp 
H = p y L = q x = ,y ,
qB
and Hamiltons equations are
H c
y = + =
p B x
H
p = = q ,
y y
where x = cp/qB throughout. Using x instead of p, the second of
these gives x = (c/B)(/y), which may be written together with
the first equation in vector form as
c cE B
r = z = ,
B B2
which is (or should be) the familiar formula for E B drift.
(c) The electrical potential for a point charge of strength q in two-dimensions
is (r) = 2q ln r, as it satisfies 2 = 4q (r). Thus, the La-
grangian for the pair is
eB
x1 y1 + x2 y2 + 2e2 ln r1 r2  + eE x1 + x2 .

 

L=
c

30
We define the relative and center-of-mass coordinates,

x = x1 x2 X = 12 (x1 + x2 )
y = y1 y2 Y = 12 (y1 + y2 ) .

In terms of these quantities,

eB  1 
L= x y + 2 X Y + e2 ln(x2 + y 2 ) + 2e E X .
c 2
The Euler-Lagrange equations now give

2e2 x
 
d L eB y L
= 0 = + 2 =
dt x 2c x + y2 x

2e2 y
 
d L eB x L
= = =
dt y 2c x2 + y 2 y
 
d L 2eB Y L
= 0 = + 2eE =
dt X c X
 
d L 2eB X L
= = 0 =
dt Y c Y
p
or, with r = x2 + y 2 and = tan1 (y/x),

4cE cE
r = 0 , = , X = 0 , Y = .
Br B
This describes a pair of particles rotating about each other with angu-
lar velocity = 4cE/Ba, where r(0) = a is their constant separation.
The center-of-mass of the pair moves in a straight line with velocity
V = (cE/B) y .

31
#13 : GRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

PROBLEM: This problem deals with displacement current.

1 E
(a) Consider the displacement current jd = 4 t of an electromagnetic
field, and using Maxwells equations show that the sum J = j + jd is
divergenceless: J = 0. (Here, j is the current of charges.)

(b) A conducting sphere of radius a is being charged through a straight

wire, carrying current I, so that the charge on the sphere q obeys
q = I. Assuming a symmetric distribution of charge over the spheres
surface, find the electric field outside the sphere. Determine also the
displacement current, and verify the conservation law J = 0.

(c) Using the Ampere-Maxwell law in the form B = 4 c J , and tak-

ing advantage of the cylindrical symmetry in this problem, find the
magnetic field everywhere in space.

(d) By appropriately limiting your result from (c), verify that close to the
wire, the answer has the familiar form for an infinite straight wire.

32
#13 : GRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

SOLUTION:

(a) From Maxwell, we have

4 1 E
B = j+
c c t
4
= (j + jd ) ,
c
and since ( B ) = 0, it follows that J = 0.

(b) From E = 4, we have E = q r/r2 for a spherical distribution of

charges. Thus,
I
jd = r .
4r2
Note that jd = I (r), which vanishes outside the sphere. Since
j = 0 outside the sphere as well, we have that J = 0.

(c) From axial symmetry, we expect circular magnetic field lines. So use
the integral form of Amperes law,
I Z
4
B d` = dA n J ,
c

where is any two-dimensional surface, and n is the local surface

normal. Consider the B field along a circular loop a distance r from
the center of the sphere, at an angle with respect to the wires axis:
Since there is no physical charge flowing through the loop, the total

current is just the displacement current from part (b). Let be the

33
 cap of a sphere of radius r, subtending a solid angle . We therefore
have
4 I
2Br sin = I = ,
c 4 c
where r sin is the radius of the loop, and = 2(1 cos ) is the
solid angle subtended by the loop. We therefore have

(1 cos ) I I
B(r, ) = = tan( 12 ) .
cr sin cr
Note that there are two choices we could make for our cap. The
complementary region 0 would subtend solid angle 4 , and is
pierced by the wire. In this case, both j and jd contribute to J , and
after considering the opposite orientation of n and r on 0 , we obtain
 
4 4 I
2Br sin = I +I = ,
c 4 c

as before.

(d) Near the wire, we have , and cos 1, and we recover the
familiar expression
2I 2I
B(r, ) = ,
cr sin cR
where R = r sin is the perpendicular distance from the wire.

34
#14 : GRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

PROBLEM: A wave guide has rectangular cross section with sides of length
2a and a.

(a) What is the dispersion relation for the TM modes?

(b) What is the dispersion relation for the TE modes?

(c) For what frequency range does a single mode alone propagate?

You may assume =  = 1 inside the wave guide.

35
#14 : GRADUATE ELECTROMAGNETISM

SOLUTION: For a derivation of waveguide physics (not required) write

E (x, y, z) = E (x, y) + z Ez (x, y) ei(kzt)
 

B (x, y, z) = B (x, y) + z Bz (x, y) ei(kzt) ,

 

where z is the waveguide axis. Separate the gradient operator into transverse
and longitudinal components,

= + z ,
z
where z = 0, and plug into Maxwells equations. The divergence equa-
tions are
ik Ez + E = 0
ik Bz + B = 0 ,
while the curl equations are each split into longitudinal and transverse com-
ponents, yielding
i
z E = Bz
c
i
ikz E z Ez = B
c
i
z B = Ez
c
i
ikz B z Bz = E .
c
These last four equations may be used to write E and B in terms of Ez
and Bz :
ik Ez ik0 z Bz
E =
k02 k 2
ik Bz + ik0 z Ez
B = ,
k02 k 2
where k0 = /c. Substituting these into the two scalar equations, one finds
that Ez and Bz obey wave equations of the form
 2 
2 k 2 + 2 Ez = 0
c
 2
2 k 2 + 2 Bz = 0 .
c

36
Boundary conditions:

TM modes: Bz = 0, Ez surface = 0

TM modes: Ez = 0, n Bz surface = 0 ,

where n is the surface normal. Only these last two sets of equations are
needed to solve the problem. We assume the long (2a) direction is the
x-direction, and the short (a) direction the y-direction.

(a) For TM modes, we write

 mx   ny 
Ez (x, y) = E0 sin sin ,
2a a
where m and n are positive integers. This solution properly vanishes
on the boundaries at x = 0, x = 2a, y = 0, and y = a. The wave
equation then yields the dispersion branches
r  mc 2  nc 2
mn (k) = c2 k 2 + + .
2a a
Any mode with k > 0 will propagate.

(b) For TE modes, we need n Bz = 0 on the boundaries. Thus,

 mx   ny 
Bz (x, y) = B0 cos cos .
2a a
Both m and n are nonnegative integers, but for a nontrivial solution
at least one of them must be positive. The dispersion branches mn (k)
are the same as in (a).

(c) The lowest frequency branch is TE1,0 (i.e. m = 1 and n = 0), with
1,0 (k = 0) = c/2a. The next lowest branches are TE2,0 and TE1,1 ,
which are degenerate, and for which 0,1 (k = 0) = c/a. Thus, a
single mode propagates at all frequencies in the range
c c
< .
2a a

37
# 15 : GRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

PROBLEM: A hydrogen atom in its ground state is placed in an electric field

E (t) = E0 cos(t), where > me4 /2h3 . Find the probability per unit time
that the atom will be ionized. You should assume that the wavefunctions
of the electron in the ionized states are plane waves. The ground state
wavefunction of hydrogen is 0 (r) = (a3B )1/2 exp(r/aB ), where aB =
h2 /me2 is the Bohr radius.

38
# 15 : GRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

SOLUTION: We use Fermis Golden Rule for the transition rate,

2 
  2
if = f V ()i  (Ef Ei h) ,
h

valid for harmonic perturbations of the form V (t) = V () eit . (For a real
harmonic potential, sum over positive and negative frequency components.)
Our potential is
V (t) = eE0 r cos(t) ,
so V () = V () = eE0 r. The matrix element we seek is then

  
M = e k E0 r0
Z
3 1/2 1/2
= eE0 (aB ) V d3r er/aB eikr e r ,

where we take E0 = E0 e. We may, without loss of generality, take k to lie

along z . Writing r and e in polar coordinates, we then have

e r = r cos cos + r sin sin cos( ) ,

where (, ) and (, ) are the polar and azimuthal angles for r and e,
respectively. The last term integrates to zero. The matrix element is then
Z Z
1/2
M = 2eE0 (aB V )3
cos dr r d sin r cos er/aB eikr cos .
2

0 0

The double integral is straightforward:

Z1 Z Z1
1
d dr r3 e(aB +ik)r = 6 d 1
(aB + ik)4
1 0 1
a1
B +ik
s a1
Z
6 B
= 2
k s4
a1
B ik

16i k a1
B
= .
(a2
B + k 2 )3

39
The matrix element must be squared, then summed over all final k states.
Recalling the relation
Z 3
X dk
A(k) = V A(k) ,
(2)3
k

we obtain for the total transmission rate

Z Z
dk k 2 4 2 e2 E02 cos2 256 k 2 a2 h2
 2 
2 B hk
= d sin 2 h +
h 4 2 a3B (aB + k 2 )6 2m 2ma2B
0 0
 3/2
256 2 2 3  0 3
= e E0 aB 1 ,
3h 0

where 0 h/2ma2B = me4 /2h3 is the lowest ionization frequency. Note

that 0 at the ionization edge, = 0 . The approximation of ionized
states by plane waves is accurate only for  0 .

40
#16 : GRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

PROBLEM:
  Consider a two-state system in which the
 interaction
   eigenstates
i and j are related to the energy eigenstates E1 and E2 , with E1 <
E2 , according to the unitary transformation,
    
i = cos E1 + sin E2
     
j = sin E1 + cos E2 ,
 
  is a real number. The energy eigenvalues E1,2 satisfy Hvac Ea =
where 
Ea Ea , where a = 1, 2, and where Hvac is the vacuum Hamiltonian of the

system.


(a) The system is prepared to be in the state i at time t = 0. What  is
the minimum lapse of time until the system is again in the state i ?

(b) Imagine that our system


 is now subjected to an additional interaction,
Hnew (t) = A(t) i i, where A(t) has dimensions of energy. Write

down the Hamiltonian as a 2 2 matrix in the interaction basis.

(c) Write down the Hamiltonian from part (b) as a 2 2 matrix in the
original energy eigenbasis.

41
#16 : GRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS

SOLUTION:

(a) We have
(t) = cos E1 eiE1 t/h + sin E2 eiE2 t/h
     
 
= eiE1 t/h cos E1 + sin E2 eiE t/h ,
   


where E = E2 E1 . The probability that the system is in state i
is 
 2
Pi =  i(t)  ,
and so we first compute the probability amplitude

 
 
i(t) = (0)(t)
= cos2 + sin2 eiE t/h eiE1 t/h .

We now have

Pi = cos2 + sin2 eiE t/h cos2 + sin2 e+iE t/h

= cos4 + sin4 + 2 sin2 cos2 cos(E t)

= (cos2 + sin2 )2 2 sin2 cos2 1 cos(E t)

= 1 sin2 (2) sin2 21 E t .

Thus, the minimum time interval is t = 2h/(E2 E1 ).

(b) We need to express the   Hamiltonian Hvac in terms of the

 vacuum
interaction eigenstates i and j . We know

 
  

Hvac = E1 E1 E1  + E2 E2 E2  .

We invert the relation between the interaction eigenstates and the

energy eigenstates to obtain
    
E1 = cos i sin j
    
E2 = sin i + cos j .

42
 We may now write

Hvac = (E1 cos2 + E2 sin2 ) i i + (E2 E1 ) sin cos i j 

 
  


+ (E2 E1 ) sin cos j i + (E1 cos2 + E2 sin2 ) j j  .

 
  


Thus, we may write

E1 cos2 + E2 sin2 + A(t)

  (E2 E1 ) sin cos
H interaction = .
(E2 E1 ) sin cos E1 sin2 + E2 cos2

(c) The Hamiltonian is

 
  
  

H = E1 E1 E1  + E2 E2 E2  + A(t) i i
 
  

= E1  E1 E1  + E2  E2 E2 
   




+ A(t) cos E1 + sin E2 cos E1  + sin E2 

E1 + A(t) cos2

  A(t) sin cos
H energy = .
2
A(t) sin cos E2 + A(t) sin

43
#17 : GRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: A three-dimensional gas of noninteracting bosonic particles obeys

 1/2
the dispersion relation (k) = A k .

(a) Obtain an expression for the density n(T, z) where z = exp(/kB T ) is

the fugacity. Simplify your expression as best you can, adimensional-
izing any integral or infinite sum which may appear. You may find it
convenient to define
Z
1 x1 X zk
g (z) dx = .
() z 1 ex 1 k
0 k=1

Note g (1) = (), the Riemann zeta function. On the exam, the
factor 1/() was inadvertently left out of the above identity. No
points were deducted from anyone as a result.

(b) Find the critical temperature for Bose condensation, Tc (n). Your ex-
pression should only include the density n, the constant A, physical
constants, and numerical factors (which may be expressed in terms of
integrals or infinite sums).
1
(c) What is the condensate density n0 when T = 2 Tc ?

(d) Do you expect the second virial coefficient to be positive or negative?

Explain your reasoning. (You dont have to do any calculation.)

44
#17 : GRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: We use Bose quantum statistical mechanics.

(a) The density for Bose particles are given by

Z 3
dk 1
n(T, z) = 3 1
(2) z exp(Ak 1/2 /kB T ) 1
 Z
1 kB T 6 s5

= 2 ds 1 s
A z e 1
0
120 kB T 6
 
= 2 g6 (z) ,
A

where we have changed integration variables from k to s = Ak 1/2 /kB T ,

and we have defined the functions
Z
1 s1 X zk
g (z) ds 1 s = .
() z e 1 k
0 k=1

Note g (1) = (), the Riemann zeta function.

(b) Bose condensation sets in for z = 1, i.e. = 0. Thus, the critical
temperature Tc and the density n are related by

120 (6) kB Tc 6
 
n= ,
2 A
or 1/6
2 n

A
Tc (n) = .
kB 120 (6)
(c) For T < Tc , we have

120 (6) kB T 6
 
n = n0 +
2 A
= n0 + (T /Tc )6 n ,
1
where n0 is the condensate density. Thus, at T = 2 Tc ,

n0 T = 12 Tc = 63


64 n.

45
(d) The virial expansion of the equation of state is

p = nkB T 1 + B2 (T ) n + B3 (T ) n2 + . . . .


We expect B2 (T ) < 0 for noninteracting bosons, reflecting the ten-

dency of the bosons to condense. (Correspondingly, for noninteracting
fermions we expect B2 (T ) > 0.)
For the curious, we compute B2 (T ) by eliminating the fugacity z from
the equations for n(T, z) and p(T, z). First, we find p(T, z):
Z 3
dk 
1/2

p(T, z) = kB T ln 1 z exp(Ak /kB T )
(2)3
 Z
1 kB T 7

ds s5 ln 1 z es


= 2
A
0
 7
120 kB T
= 2 g7 (z).
A

Expanding in powers of the fugacity, we have

6 n
z2 z3

120 kB T o
n= 2 z+ 6 + + . . .
A2 36
6 n
z2 z3

120 kB T o
p= 2 z+ 7 + + . . . .
A 2 37

Solving for z(n) using the first equation, we obtain, to order n2 ,

2
2 A6 n 2 A6 n
  
1
z= 6 + O(n3 ) .
120 kB6 T 6 2 120 kB6 T 6

Plugging this into the equation for p(T, z), we obtain the first nontriv-
ial term in the virial expansion, with

2 A6
B2 (T ) = ,
15360 kB6 T 6

which is negative, as expected. Note also that the ideal gas law is
recovered for T , for fixed n.

46
#18 : GRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

PROBLEM: A collection of spin- 12 particles is adsorbed on a surface. There are

N adsorption sites. For each site, let = 0 if there is no adsorbed particle,
= +1 if there is particle present with spin up, and = 1 if there is a
particle present with spin down. The particles are non-interacting, and the
energy for each adsorption site is given by = W 2 , where W < 0 is the
binding energy.

(a) Let Q = N + N be the number of adsorbed particles, and N0 be

the number of vacant adsorption sites. The surface magnetization
is M = N N . Compute, in the microcanonical ensemble, the
statistical entropy S(Q, M ).

(b) Let q = Q/N and m = M/N be the dimensionless adsorbate density

and magnetization density, respectively. Assuming that we are in the
thermodynamic limit, where N , Q, and M all tend to infinity, but
with q and m finite, Find the temperature T (q, m). Recall Stirlings
formula
ln(N !) = N ln N N + O(ln N ) .

(c) Show explicitly that T can be negative for this system. What does
negative T mean? What physical degrees of freedom have been left
out that would avoid this strange property?

47
#18 : GRADUATE STATISTICAL MECHANICS

SOLUTION: There is a constraint on N , N0 , and N :

N + N0 + N = Q + N0 = N .

The total energy of the system is E = W Q.

(a) The number of states available to the system is

N!
= .
N ! N0 ! N !

Fixing Q and M , along with the above constraint, is enough to com-

pletely determine {N , N0 , N }:

1 1
N = 2 (Q + M ) , N0 = N Q , N = 2 (Q M ) ,

whence
N!
(Q, M ) =  1  1  .
2 (Q + M ) ! 2 (Q M ) ! (N Q)!

The statistical entropy is S = kB ln :

S(Q, M ) = kB ln(N !)kB ln 12 (Q+M )! kB ln 12 (QM )! kB ln (N Q)! .

     

(b) Now we invoke Stirlings rule,

ln(N !) = N ln N N + O(ln N ) ,

to obtain

ln (Q, M ) = N ln N N 21 (Q + M ) ln 12 (Q + M ) + 21 (Q + M )
 

12 (Q M ) ln 21 (Q M ) + 12 (Q M ) (N Q) ln(N Q) + (N Q)
 
 
1
h
1 2 2
i
1 Q+M
= N ln N 2 Q ln 4 (Q M ) 2 M ln
QM
 
h p i q+m
= N q ln 12 q 2 m2 21 N m ln N (1 q) ln(1 q) ,
qm

48
 where Q = N q and M = N m. Note that the entropy S = kB ln is
extensive. The statistical entropy per site is thus
 
h p
1 2 2
i
1 q+m
s(q, m) = kB q ln 2 q m 2 kB m ln kB (1q) ln(1q) .
qm

The temperature is obtained from the relation

 
1 S  1 s 
= =
T E M W q m
1 1 h p i
= ln(1 q) ln 12 q 2 m2 .
W W

Thus,
W/kB
T =  p  .
ln 2(1 q)/ q 2 m2

(c) We have 0 q 1 and q m q, so T is real (thank heavens!).

But it is easy to choose {q, m} such that T < 0. For example, when
m = 0 we have T = W/kB ln(2q 1 2) and T < 0 for all q ( 32 , 1].
The reason for this strange state of affairs is that the entropy S is
bounded, and is not an monotonically increasing function of the energy
E (or the dimensionless quantity Q). The entropy is maximized for
N = N0 = N = 13 , which says m = 0 and q = 23 . Increasing q
beyond this point (with m = 0 fixed) starts to reduce the entropy,
and hence (S/E) < 0 in this range, which immediately gives T < 0.
What weve left out are kinetic degrees of freedom, such as vibrations
and rotations, whose energies are unbounded, and which result in an
increasing S(E) function.

49
#19 : GRADUATE MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS

PROBLEM: The Fermi integral of order k is given by the expression

Z
xk
Fk () = dx .
exp(x ) + 1
0

(a) Express Fk () as an infinite sum.

(b) Find dFk ()/d in terms of Fermi integrals.

(c) Use an integral form of the relation from (a) to express F2 ()F2 ()
1 2
as a polynomial in . You may need to use F1 (0) = 12 . Hint: You
will need to compute F0 ().

50
#19 : GRADUATE MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS

SOLUTION: Slightly tedious, but straightforward.

(a) We write

1 X
= (1)` e`(x) ,
exp(x ) + 1
`=1
whence

X (1)` e`
Fk () = (k + 1) ,
`k+1
`=1
where (k + 1) = k! for integer k.
(b) Using the result from part (a),

X (1)` e`
dFk ()
= (k + 1) = k Fk1 () .
d `k
`=1

Note we have used k(k) = (k +1). One may also derive this directly
from the definition of Fk () via integration by parts:
Z  
dFk () k d 1
= dx x
d d exp(x ) + 1
0
Z  
k d 1
= dx x
dx exp(x ) + 1
0
 Z
xk  xk
=  + k dx

exp(x ) + 1  exp(x ) + 1
0 0
= k Fk1 () .

(c) The integral form of the differential relation we derived is

Z
Fk () Fk (0) = k d 0 Fk1 ( 0 ) .
0

Note that

X (1)` e`
F0 () = = ln(1 + e ) .
`
`=1

51
(c) Now we wish to evaluate

Z Z
F2 () F2 () = 2 d 0 F1 ( 0 ) 2 d 0 F1 ( 0 )
0 0
Z n o
= 2 d 0 F1 ( 0 ) + F1 ( 0 ) .
0

We therefore must calculate

Z Z
F1 () + F1 () = 2F1 (0) + d 0 F0 ( 0 ) + d 0 F0 ( 0 )
0 0
Z n o
= 2F1 (0) + d 0 F0 ( 0 ) F0 ( 0 )
0
= 2F1 (0) + 21 2 ,

where we have used F0 () F0 () = , which is derived from our

earlier result for F0 (). Thus,

F2 () F2 () = 4F1 (0) + 31 3
= 13 2 + 31 3 .

52
#20 : GRADUATE MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS

PROBLEM: We know that the all observables are unchanged if we make a

global change of the phase of the electron wavefunction, ei . We
could call this global phase symmetry. All relative phases (say for amplitudes
to go through different slits in a diffraction experiment) remain the same
and no physical observable changes. This is a symmetry in the theory which
we already know about.

Lets postulate that there is a bigger symmetry and see what the conse-
quences are. This is a local phase symmetry embodied by the transformation

(r, t) ei(r,t) (r, t) .

That is, we can change the phase by a different amount at each point in
spacetime and the physics will remain unchanged. This local phase symme-
try is much bigger than the global one.

It is clear that this transformation leaves the absolute square of the wave-
function the same, but what about the Schrodinger equation? It must also
be unchanged:
1  e 2
ih = p + A e .
t 2m c

(a) Find the corresponding tranformation of A and needed to leave the

Schrodinger equation invariant under local phase transformations of
the wave function.

(b) How does this transformation change Maxwells equations?

53
#20 : GRADUATE MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS

SOLUTION: The local gauge transformation is given by

(r, , t) ei(r,t) (r, t) .

(a) Under the local gauge transformation, space and time derivatives trans-
form as

ei ei = + i
r
i
ei e = +i .
t t t t
Therefore, with ei , the Schrodinger equation becomes
1  e 2
ih h = p + A + h e .
t t 2m c
The additional terms may be cancelled by the following covariant
changes in the 4-potential (, A):
h
+
e t
hc
AA .
e
(b) Maxwells equations dont change because although the 4-potential
changes covariantly, viz.
1 hc
+
c e t
hc
AA ,
e
the fields themselves are invariant and do not change:
~ 1 A
E =
c t
h 1 A h
+ = E
e t c t e t
and
B =A
hc
A = B .
e

54