Exam on Quantum Mechanics FYSN17/FMFN01

11. March 2014, 14-19, Room H421

Except for the attached list of formulae no further aids are allowed
Please do only hand in your final solutions. If you hand in multiple solutions, this can
lead to deduction of points in the correct version. Do not use red-colored pens!
There are 7 problems with altogether 100 ordinary points plus one extra problem with 20 bonus
points. 50 points are required to pass the exam.

Good Luck!
Problem 1: Energy eigenstates (10 points)
Consider a quantum system described by the Hamiltonian Ĥ. Let |ϕ1 i be an eigenstate of Ĥ
with eigenvalue E1 .
a) Determine the temporal evolution of the system |Ψ(t)i for the initial condition |Ψ(0)i = |ϕ1 i.
b) Show, that the probability to observe the system in a certain state |an i does not depend on
time!

Problem 2: Operators (10 points)

In a three dimensional subspace two operators are represented by the matrices:
   
a 0 0 c 0 0
 = 0 −a b
  , B̂ = 0 0
 d 
0 b −a 0 −d 0

where a, b, c, d are complex numbers.

a) Under which conditions are the operators  and B̂ Hermitian?
b) Under which condition does a basis of common eigenstates for  and B̂ exist?

Problem 3: Unitary (10 points)

Show, that the operator Û = ei is unitary if  is Hermitian.

Problem 4: Many-particle state (10 points)

A lithium atom has three electrons. In the ground state they (in a good approximation)
occupy the states |n, l, m, ms i = |1, 0, 0, ↑i, |1, 0, 0, ↓i, |2, 0, 0, ↑i. Provide the corresponding
three-particle state with the correct symmetry.

Problem 5: Dynamics of spin (20 points)

Consider a sodium atom with total spin 1/2 and Landé-factor g in a magnetic field B = Bex
pointing in x-direction. The atom is prepared at t = 0 in the spin state | ↑i. (| ↑i and | ↓i are
the common eigenstates of Ŝz with eigenvalues ±~/2, respectively.)
a) Provide the matrix representation of the Hamilton operator for the system in the spin space
for the standard basis {| ↑i, | ↓i}.
b) Solve the Schrödinger equation for the spinor of the system.
c) Determine the probability to observe the spin state | ↓i as a function of time.

Please continue on next page with problems 6,7,8

Problem 6: Perturbation of two dimensional oscillator (20 points)
Consider a two-dimensional harmonic oscillation with the Hamiltonian
1
Ĥ0 = 2m (p̂2x + p̂2y ) + 12 mω 2 (x̂2 + ŷ 2 ), where m is the mass and ω the frequency.
a) Write down the four lowest eigen-energies of the system and their degeneracies.
b) The system is perturbed by the operator V̂ = µmω 2 x̂ŷ with the real parameter µ. Use
first-order perturbation theory to calculate the energy shift for the level with energy E = 3~ω.

Problem 7: Transitions in the hydrogen atom for x-polarisation (20 points)

Let a hydrogen atom at t = 0 be in its ground state, n = 1. An oscillating electric field with
electric field strength Eex cos(ωt) (resulting in the perturbation potential V̂ (r, t) = eE x̂ cos(ωt))
is switched on at t = 0 and switched off at t = τ (with τ > 0). Here we want to study possible
transitions into the p-states of the first excited level. The spin is entirely neglected here.
a) Provide the general expression for the transition probability P to find the atom in any of
the l = 1 states of the first excited multiplet (n = 2) after the pulse (i.e. for t > τ ) in lowest
order perturbation theory.
b) Determine the dependence of P on the frequency ω. (The result is not a simple expression
– don’t try to simplify it.)
c) Calculate the matrix elements and determine which states of the 2p level can be populated.

Extra-Problem 8: Spin-orbit-coupling in a magnetic field (20 bonus points)

Consider the six states of the 2p level for the hydrogen atom. These are described by the
quantum numbers m = −1, 0, 1 and ms = − 21 , 12 (while n = 2 and l = 1 is fixed) and we denote
them in the order

|1i = | − 1, − 12 i, |2i = | − 1, 12 i, |3i = |0, − 12 i, |4i = |0, 21 i, |5i = |1, − 21 i, |6i = |1, 12 i

Taking into account the spin-orbit interaction, the effective Hamiltonian for these states in the
presence of a magnetic field of magnitude B pointing in z-direction can be written as
2α µB B  
Ĥ = L̂ · Ŝ + L̂z + 2 Ŝ z
~2 ~
where α is a parameter describing the strength of the spin-orbit interaction in the 2p level.
a) Provide the possible energies in the limiting case α = 0.
b) Determining the matrix of the Hamiltonian in the basis given above.
Hint: You may use 2L̂ · Ŝ = 2L̂z Ŝz + L̂+ Ŝ− + L̂− Ŝ+
c) Determine the possible energy values of the system.
 List of formulae for FYSN17,
where pre-factors and signs may be difficult to memorize
The Schrödinger equation reads:
∂
i~ |Ψ(t)i = Ĥ|Ψ(t)i
∂t
Expectation values for time-independent operators  satisfy
d i
hΨ|Â|Ψi = hΨ|[Ĥ, Â]|Ψi
dt ~
The Hamilton operator for the harmonic oscillator reads:
r r
p̂2
 
1 2 2 † 1 mω 1
Ĥ = + mω x̂ = ~ω â â + with â = x̂ + i p̂
2m 2 2 2~ 2m~ω

The standard eigenstates |ni of the harmonic oscillator with eigenvalue (n + 1/2)~ω satisfy
√ √
â|ni = n|n − 1i and ↠|ni = n + 1|n + 1i

In spatial representation these eigenstates read:

 1/4 r
mω 1 −ξ2 mω
φn (x) = √ Hn (ξ)e 2 , with ξ = x
π~ 2n n! ~
and H0 (ξ) = 1 , H1 (ξ) = 2ξ , H2 (ξ) = 4ξ 2 − 2 , H3 (ξ) = 8ξ 3 − 12ξ

For the linear chain with spacing a the position and momentum operators at site l can be
expressed by creation and annihilation operators of the modes k via
s r
1 X
−ikla ~ 
†
 1 X ikla m~ω(k)  † 
ûl = √ e âk + â−k , p̂l = √ e i âk − â−k
N k 2mω(k) N k 2

The general operators for angular momentum satisfy [Jˆj , Jˆk ] = i~ l jkl Jˆl . The shift operators
P

are defined as Jˆ± = Jˆx ± iJˆy and satisfy

1
|j, m + 1i = p Jˆ+ |j, mi
~ j(j + 1) − m(m + 1)
1
|j, m − 1i = p Jˆ− |j, mi
~ j(j + 1) − m(m − 1)

for the common eigenstates |j, mi of Jˆz and Ĵ2 with eigenvalues m~ and j(j +1)~2 , respectively.
In spatial representation the operators for orbital angular momentum read in spherical coordi-
nates provide x = r sin θ cos ϕ, y = r sin θ sin ϕ, and z = r cos θ.

1 ∂2
   
SR ~ ∂ SR 2 2 1 ∂ ∂
L̂z = (L̂ ) = −~ sin θ +
i ∂ϕ sin θ ∂θ ∂θ sin2 θ ∂ϕ2
and the eigenfunctions are the spherical harmonics Ylm (θ, ϕ) with
r r r r
1 3 3 3
Y00 = , Y10 = cos θ , Y11 = − sin θ eiϕ , Y1−1 = sin θ e−iϕ
4π 4π 8π 8π
For a spin-1/2 system, the spin operator Ŝi → ~2 σi is represented by the Pauli matrices
     
0 1 0 −i 1 0
σx = , σy = , σz =
1 0 i 0 0 −1
−~2 1 −13.6eV
The hydrogen atom has the energy levels En,l = 2me a2B n2
≈ n2
with the Bohr radius
~2
aB = 4π 0
me e2
≈ 0.53Å. The corresponding eigenstates in spatial representation read hr|n, l, mi =
1 m
u (r)Yl (θ, ϕ) with
r nl
 
2r −r/aB r r r r −r/2aB
u10 (r) = p 3 e , u20 (r) = p 3 1 − e−r/2aB , u21 (r) = p 3 e
aB 2aB 2aB 6aB 2aB
The Hamilton operator of an electron spin in a magnetic field reads
ge
Ĥ = B · Ŝ
2me
The orbital part of the Hamilton operator of a charged particle reads for the potentials φ(r, t), A(r, t),
satisfying E = −∇φ − ∂A ∂t
and B = ∇ × A:
(p̂ − qA(r̂, t))2 for constantB=Bez p̂
2
qB q2B 2 2
Ĥ = + qφ(r̂, t) = + qφ(r̂) − L̂z + (x̂ + ŷ 2 )
2m 2m 2m 8m
Stationary perturbation theory provides in first and second order
X hb0 |V̂ |a0 i 0 X |ha0 |V̂ |b0 i|2
Ea1 = ha0 |V |a0 i , |a1 i = |b i , Ea2 =
b with b6=a
(Ea0 − Eb0 ) b6=a
Ea0 − Eb0

In the interaction picture we set |Ψ(t)i = e−iĤ0 t/~ |ΨD (t)i and obtain
! !
∂ Ĥ0 t Ĥ0 t
i~ |ΨD (t)i = V̂ D (t)|ΨD (t)i with V̂ D (t) = exp i V̂ (t) exp −i
∂t ~ ~

In lowest order, the transition probability from state |ai to state |bi is given by
 Z t 2
1
dt0 hb0 |V̂ D (t0 )|a0 i

Pa→b (t) = 
i~ 0
which for V̂ (t) = F̂ e−iωt provides the transition rate
~ 4 sin2 ∆E


2π 0 0 2 0 0 2
t/~
Γa→b (t) = |hb |F̂ |a i| δt (Eb − Ea − ~ω) with δt (∆E) =
~ 2πt ∆E 2
The symmetrized and anti-symmetrized many-particle states read
1 X
|an1 , an2 , . . . anN iS = p Q P̂ξ |an1 , an2 , . . . anN i
N ! n Nn ! ξ
1 X
|an1 , an2 , . . . anN iA = √ σξ P̂ξ |an1 , an2 , . . . anN i
N! ξ

where σξ = ±1 for even/odd permutations ξ.

Z ∞ Z ∞ √ (2n)!
Z ∞
n −αx n! 2n −x2 /α2 2 /α2
dx x e = n+1 dx x e = π 2n α2n+1 dx x2n+1 e−x = n!α2n+2
0 α −∞ 2 n! −∞

− p2
p
The quadratic equation x2 + px + q = 0 is solved by x1/2 = ± p2 /4 − q.