Scribd
Upload
24 views

Assignment 01

The document is a 15 question assignment on quantum mechanics. It covers topics such as linear independence of vectors and functions, operators, eigenfunctions, unitary and Hermitian matrices, commutators, and measurement precision in quantum mechanics. The questions involve calculating expressions, verifying properties, and discussing concepts related to linear algebra and operators in quantum theory.

Uploaded by

Sakshi Arya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
24 views

Assignment 01

The document is a 15 question assignment on quantum mechanics. It covers topics such as linear independence of vectors and functions, operators, eigenfunctions, unitary and Hermitian matrices, commutators, and measurement precision in quantum mechanics. The questions involve calculating expressions, verifying properties, and discussing concepts related to linear algebra and operators in quantum theory.

Uploaded by

Sakshi Arya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

PHN-503: Quantum Mechanics - I

Assignment-01

1. Consider a state which is given in terms of orthonormal vectors |φn i, where n = 1, 2, 3, as


follows:
1 1 1
|ψi = √ |φ1 i + √ |φ2 i + √ |φ3 i,
15 3 5
where |φn i are the eigenstates of an operator B such that: B|φn i = (3n2 − 1) |φn i.

(a) Find the norm of the state |ψi.


(b) Find the expectation value of B and B 2 for the state |ψi.

2. Are the following sets of functions linearly depenedent or independent?

(a) cos x, eix , 3 sin x.


(b) 7, x2 , 9x4 , e−x .

3. Are the following sets of vectors (in R3 space) linearly independet or depenedent?

(a) (4, 5, 6), (1, 2, 3), (7, 8, 9)


(b) (5, 4, 1), (2, 0, -2), (0, 6, -1)
√
(c) (1, 0, 0), (0, -5, 0), (0, 0, 7)

4. In the following expressions, where A is an operator, specify the nature of each expression
(either as an operator, a bra, or a ket) and then find its Hermitian conjugate.

(a) hφ|A|ψi hψ|


(b) A|ψihφ|
(c) hφ|A|ψi|ψihφ|A
(d) hψ|A|φi|φi + iA|ψi
(e) (|φihφ|A) − i (A|ψihψ|)

5. Consider the state |ψi = 9i|φ1 i + 2|φ2 i and |χi = − √i2 |φ1 i + √1 |φ2 i,
2
where |φ1 i and |φ2 i
form a complete and orthonormal basis.

(a) Calculate the operators |ψihχ| and |χihψ|. Are they equal ?
(b) Find the Hermitian conjugates of |ψi, |χi, |ψihχ|, and |χihψ|.
(c) Calculate Tr(|ψihχ|) and Tr(|χihψ|). Comment on the results.
(d) Calculate |ψihψ| and |χihχ| and their traces. Are they projection operators?
6. Verify whether the following matrix is unitary or not.
! Find its eigenvalues and the corre-
cos θ sin θ
sponding normalized eigenvectors.
− sin θ cos θ

7. Consider the following three matrices:


     
0 1 0 0 −i 0 1 0 0
A = 1 0 1 , B =  i 0 −i , C = 0 0 0  .
     

0 1 0 0 i 0 0 0 −1

(a) Calculate the commutators: [A, B], [B, C], and [C, A].
(b) Show that A2 + B 2 + 2C 2 = 4I, where I is the unit matrix.
(c) Verify that T r(ABC) = T r(BCA) = T r(CAB).

8. Show that the operator A = i(X 2 + 1)d/dx + iX is Hermitian. Find the state ψ(x) for which
Aψ(x) = 0 and normalize it. Calculate the probability of finding the particle represented by
ψ(x) in the region: −1 ≤ x ≤ 1.

9. Show that if A is a projection operator, the operator (1 − A) is also a projection operator.

10. Discuss the conditions for these operators to be unitary: (a) (1 + iA)/(1 − iA) and
√
(b) (A + iB)/ A2 + B 2 .

11. Consider the wavefunctions: ψ(x, y) = sin (2x) cos (5x); φ(x, y) = exp[−2(x2 + y 2 )]; and
χ(x, y) = exp[−i(x + y)].
∂ ∂
(a) Verify if any of the wavefunctions is an eigenfunction of operator A = ∂x
+ ∂y
.
∂2 ∂2
(b) Verify if any of the wavefunctions is an eigenfunction of operator B = ∂x2
+ ∂y 2
+ 1.
(c) Evaluate the commutator [A, B].

12. Consider two operators A and B whose matrices are:


   
1 3 0 1 0 −2
A = 1 0 1 , B =  0 0 0 .
   

0 −1 1 −2 0 4

(a) Are A and B Hermitian?


(b) Do A and B commute?
(c) Find the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of A and B.
(d) Are the eigenvectors of each operator orthonormal?
(e) Verify that U † BU is diagonal, U being the matrix of normalized eigenvectors of B.
(f) Verify that U † = U −1 .

13. (a) Specify the condition that must be satisfied by a matrix so that it is both unitary and
Hermitian.
(b) Consider the three matrices:
! ! !
0 1 0 −i 1 0
M1 = ; M2 = ; M3 = .
1 0 i 0 0 −1

Calculate the inverse of each matrix and check whether they satisy the condition derived
in part (a).

14. Evaluate the commutators: [exp (iX), P ], [exp (iX 2 ), P ], and [exp (iX), P 2 ].

15. Can we measure the kinetic energy and potential energy of the particle simultaneously with
absolute precision? Justify your answer.

You might also like