SIF3011 QUANTUM MECHANICS II SEMESTER 2 2021/2022

HOMEWORK 1

Chapter 1 Mathematical Foundation of Quantum Mechanics

By doing these exercises yourself will give you confidence to calculate quantum mechanics problems
and other advanced concepts that you will learn later in the course.

In this homework sheet, there are some additional information that compliments the lecture notes.
Please study them. No need to submit solutions to this homework.

A ket (or vector) in a complex vector space is represented by a 𝑛 × 1 column vector:

𝑎!
𝑎
|𝛼⟩ = ( " +
⋮
𝑎#

for a set of n-tuple complex numbers {𝑎$ , 𝑖 = 1,2, ⋯ 𝑛}. For every ket, there is a corresponding bra
(dual vector):

⟨𝛼| = (𝑎! , 𝑎" , ⋯ , 𝑎# )∗ = (𝑎!∗ , 𝑎"∗ , ⋯ , 𝑎#∗ ).

1. Given two vectors in 3D complex vector space:

1 1 + 4𝑖
|𝛼⟩ = 6−2𝑖9 and |𝛽⟩ = 6 5 9.
3 6

If 𝑎 = 7 + 8𝑖:

(a) Show that 𝑎(|𝛼⟩ + |𝛽⟩) = 𝑎|𝛼⟩ + 𝑎|𝛽⟩.

(b) Find the inner products ⟨𝛼|𝛽⟩ and ⟨𝛽|𝛼⟩. What can you conclude from our results?

The norm of |𝛼⟩ is defined as:

‖𝛼‖ = C⟨𝛼|𝛼⟩ = Cinner product of 𝛼

and |𝛼⟩ is normalized if the norm equals one:

‖𝛼‖ = C⟨𝛼|𝛼⟩ = 1.

2. Find the norm of each ket in Question 1.

3. You are given the following kets:

1⁄√2 −1⁄√2
|𝛼⟩ = D G and |𝛽⟩ = D G,
1⁄√2 1⁄√2

(a) Are they orthogonal?

(b) Are they normalized?

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SIF3011 QUANTUM MECHANICS II SEMESTER 2 2021/2022

𝑥
4. If |𝛼⟩ = D−2𝑥G is normalized, find the real number 𝑥.
𝑥

An observable, such as momentum and spin components can be represented by an operator say A. If
A is a Hermitian operator, then the eigenvalues of A are real.

If 𝑋, 𝑌, 𝑍 are general operators, then they obey associative axiom of multiplication:

𝑋(𝑌𝑍) = (𝑋𝑌)𝑍 = 𝑋𝑌𝑍.

5. If 𝑋 = |𝛽⟩⟨𝛼| then show that

𝑋 & = |𝛼⟩⟨𝛽|.

6. Show that
∗
⟨𝛽|𝑋|𝛼⟩ = L𝛼|𝑋 & |𝛽⟩ .

7. If 𝑋 is Hermitian then show that

⟨𝛽|𝑋|𝛼⟩ = ⟨𝛼|𝑋|𝛽⟩∗ .

The trace of an operator X is defined as the sum of diagonal elements:

𝑡𝑟(𝑋) = O⟨𝑎' |𝑋|𝑎' ⟩

(!

and independent of representation i.e. |𝑎' ⟩, |𝑏' ⟩, ⋯

8. By using bra-ket algebra, show that:

(a) 𝑡𝑟(𝑋)𝑌 = 𝑡𝑟(𝑌𝑋)

(b) (𝑋𝑌)' = 𝑌 & 𝑋 &

9. By using bra-ket algebra, evaluate:

O 𝜓(∗ ! (𝑥⃗ ' )𝜓(! (𝑥⃗ '' )

(!

where 𝜓(! (𝑥⃗ ' ) = ⟨𝑥 ' |𝑎' ⟩.

To represent X by a square matrix, we make use of the completeness relation

O|𝑎' ⟩⟨𝑎' | = 1
(!
and write X as

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SIF3011 QUANTUM MECHANICS II SEMESTER 2 2021/2022

𝑋 = O O|𝑎'' ⟩⟨𝑎'' |𝑋|𝑎' ⟩⟨𝑎' |.

( !! ( !

Make sure you are able to do this! There are 𝑁 " numbers of form ⟨𝑎'' |𝑋|𝑎' ⟩ (the middle term in X)
where N is the dimension of the ket space. Arrange then into 𝑁 × 𝑁 square matrix such that

⟨𝑎'' |𝑋|𝑎' ⟩ = ⟨𝑟𝑜𝑤|𝑋|𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑛⟩.

Thus, X is represented in matrix form as:

L𝑎 (!)Z𝑋Z𝑎(!) [ L𝑎(!) Z𝑋Z𝑎(") [ ⋯

𝑋 = (L𝑎 (")Z𝑋Z𝑎(!) [ L𝑎(") Z𝑋Z𝑎(") [ ⋯+
⋮ ⋮ ⋱

Using the associative axiom of multiplication (refer to lecture notes):

∗
⟨𝑎'' |𝑋|𝑎' ⟩ = L𝑎' |𝑋 & |𝑎'' ⟩ .

10. Write the inner product ⟨𝛽|𝛼⟩ as a matrix with the row matrix representing ⟨𝛽| and column matrix
|𝛼⟩.

11. Continue from Question 10, write the outer product |𝛽⟩⟨𝛼| as a matrix.

12. Given two kets |𝛼⟩ and |𝛽⟩. If the set {⟨𝛼 ' |𝛼⟩} = ⟨𝛼 ' |𝛼⟩, ⟨𝛼 '' |𝛼⟩, ⋯ and {⟨𝛼 ' |𝛽⟩} =
⟨𝛼 ' |𝛽⟩, ⟨𝛼 '' |𝛽⟩, ⋯ are known where |𝑎' ⟩, |𝑎'' ⟩, ⋯ form a complete set of base kets (if you are not
sure what this means, please refer to your lecture notes). Find the matrix representation of the
operator |𝛼⟩⟨𝛽|.

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