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Physics 580: Quantum Mechanics I Department of Physics, UIUC Fall Semester 2006 Professor Eduardo Fradkin Problem Set No. 3: Principles of Quantum Mechanics Due Date: October 2, 2006 1 Wave Packets

1. The document provides the problem set questions for Physics 580: Quantum Mechanics I course at UIUC for the Fall 2006 semester. 2. The problem set covers topics like wave packets, states in a one-dimensional oscillator, equations of motion for operators, and quantum measurements with photons. 3. Students are asked to calculate properties of quantum states like normalization constants, uncertainties, expectation values, and probabilities for different measurement outcomes.

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Nuruddin Zanki Basith
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92 views3 pages

Physics 580: Quantum Mechanics I Department of Physics, UIUC Fall Semester 2006 Professor Eduardo Fradkin Problem Set No. 3: Principles of Quantum Mechanics Due Date: October 2, 2006 1 Wave Packets

1. The document provides the problem set questions for Physics 580: Quantum Mechanics I course at UIUC for the Fall 2006 semester. 2. The problem set covers topics like wave packets, states in a one-dimensional oscillator, equations of motion for operators, and quantum measurements with photons. 3. Students are asked to calculate properties of quantum states like normalization constants, uncertainties, expectation values, and probabilities for different measurement outcomes.

Uploaded by

Nuruddin Zanki Basith
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physics 580: Quantum Mechanics I Department of Physics, UIUC Fall Semester 2006 Professor Eduardo Fradkin Problem Set

No. 3: Principles of Quantum Mechanics Due Date: October 2, 2006 1 Wave Packets

Consider a quantum system of a single particle in one dimension. We will denote by X and P the coordinate and the momentum operators for this particle. Let us consider a state | , a wave packet, whose projection on the eigenstates |p of the momentum operator is p| = A e where p0 , and a are parameters. 1. Find the value of the normalization constant A 2. Find the form of this state in the position representation, i. e. Recall that eipx/ x|p = 2 x| .
(pp0 )2 4

ipa

3. Find the expectation values |P | and |X| . Give a physical interpretation of the parameters of this state. 4. Calculate the uncertainties X and P for this state. Discuss how is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle satised for this state.

States in a One-Dimensional Oscillator

Consider a one-dimensional linear harmonic oscillator of mass m and angular frequency . Let H be the Hamiltonian operator of this linear Harmonic oscillator m P2 + 2X 2 H =T +V = 2m 2 Consider the quantum state | whose position space representation is x| = (x) = e 4a2 (2a2 )1/4
x2

1. Use the Uncertainty Principle to calculate the expectation value (the di agonal matrix element in this state ) |H| For what value of a is this expectation value minimized? 2. Consider again a state | and its position space wave function (x) = x| . Calculate the matrix element |[T , V ]| 3. Use this result to derive an uncertainty principle for the kinetic energy operator T and the potential energy operator V of a linear harmonic oscillator. Find an explicit form of the uncertainty principle if | is the state considered in the previous item. What can you conclude about our a priori ability to measure simultaneously the kinetic and potential energies of a particle?

Equations of Motion of Operators

Consider once again a one dimensional system with coordinate and momentum operators X and P , in the Schrdinger picture. Let o P2 H= + V (X) 2m be the quantum mechanical Hamiltonian operator. Let X(t) and P (t) be the corresponding operators in the Heisenberg picture (or representation). 1. Write down the relation that exists between the operators in the Schrdinger o and the Heisenberg pictures. What is the relation between the states in both pictures? 2. Derive the equation of motion for the Heisenberg operators X(t) and P (t) for the case of the forced linear harmonic oscillator of angular frequency , for which m V (X) = 2 X 2 + f (t)X 2 where f (t) is a time-dependent classical external force.

Quantum Measurements with Photons

Consider an ensemble of photons prepared according to some density matrix of the form a c = c b It is useful to dene the following complete set of Hermitian 2 2 matrices I= 1 0 0 1 , 1 = 0 1 1 0 , 2 = 0 i i 0 , 3 = 1 0 0 1

1. Verify that the operators Px , Py , PR and PL , dened by Px = I + 3 2 , Py = I 3 2 , PR = I + 2 2 , PL = I 2 2

are projection operators which project on states |x , |y , |R and |L , i. e. x, y, R and L polarized photons respectively. 2. Calculate the probability to measure a photon with x, y, R and L polarization for an ensemble with the density matrix given above. 3. Calculate the expectation value of the photon helicity Lz = 2 in this ensemble. 4. Consider a density matrix with a = cos2 , b = sin2 , c = ei sin cos where 0 < 2 and 0 < 2. Show that with this choice of parameters this density matrix represents a pure state. Which pure state? Calculate the expectation value of the photon helicity that would be measured in this ensemble.

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