Solution to Assignment 1 - Physics 251a

Problem 1

(i) Start with Schrodingers equation

i
h

(~x, t)
h
2 2
= (
+ V (~x))(~x, t) .
t
2m

(1)

Take the complex conjugate

h
2 2
(~x, t)
= (
+ V (~x)) (~x, t) .
i
h
t
2m

(2)

Now multiplying (1) by and (2) by and subtracting one equation from the other we obtain
i
h

h
2 2
h
2 2

+ i
h
= (
+ V ) (
+ V ) ,
t
t
2m
2m

which becomes

(3)

( )
h
2 ~
~
~ ] ,
i
h
=
[
t
2m

(4)

( ) ~
h

~
~ )] = 0 .
+[
(
t
2mi

(5)

and after rearrangement

Thus defining = and J~ =

~
(
2mi

~ ), we arrive at the continuity equation

~ ~
+J =0.
t

(6)

(ii) Doing an integral of the continuity equation in the entire volume of space we get
Z

d3 x[

~ ~
+ J] = 0 ,
t

(7)

Z
d x + da
n J~ = 0 .
(8)
t
S
where we have used the divergence theorem on the second term and S represents the area
enclosing the volume of integration. Choosing S infinitely far from the particles of the system,
then this surface integral vanishes because J~ is zero far away from the sources. This leads to
Z

Z 3
dx
=
d x = 0 ,
t
t
3

d3 x (~x, t)(~x, t) = constant = 1 .

This result shows the conservation of the total probalility in the quantum system.
1

(9)
(10)

(iii) Go back to the derivation in part (i) and note the derivation of the continuity equation
relied on the fact that the potential V was real, its time-dependence being irrelevant for the
derivation. Therefore, even for a time-dependent V (~x, t) we will have the same continuity equation as in part (i).
(iv) Start with Schrodingers equation
i
h

n
X
h
2 2
(x~1 , ..., x~n , t)
= (
j + V (x~1 , ..., x~n ))(x~1 , ..., x~n , t) .
t
j=1 2mj

(11)

Following the same steps as in part (i), namely, taking the complex conjugate of this equation,
multipling by the appropriate factor of or and subtracting both equations, we are left
with
n
X
( )
h
2
i
h
=
( 2j 2j ) .
(12)
t
2m
j
j=1
After rearrangement we get
n
( ) X

~j [ h
~ j
~ j ))] = 0 .
+

(
t
2m
i
j
j=1

(13)

This result is a generalization of the continuity equation found in the one-particle problem.
The probability density is still given by = , but now the quantum current is made out
the contribution of the n particles of the system,
J~ =

n
X

~ j
~ j )) .
(
j=1 2mj i

Analogously as in part (ii) we have

(14)

d3 x1 ...d3 xn (x~1 , ..., x~n , t)(x~1 , ..., x~n , t) = constant = 1.

Problem 2

From the Heisenberg equation of motion,

i
dX(t)
= [H, X(t)] ,
dt
h

with
2
n
X
P~j
H=
+ V (x~1 , ..., x~n ) ,
j=1 2mj

(15)

(16)

we have
dx~j (t)
i
i
=
[H, x~j (t)] = expiHt/h [H, x~j ] expiHt/h
dt
h

2
i
P~j
=
expiHt/h [
, x~j ] expiHt/h
h

2mj
i
P~j
=
expiHt/h
2 (i
h) expiHt/h
h

2mj
P~j (t)
=
,
mj
2

(17)

and then differentiate w.r.t time again, we have

mj

d2 x~j (t)
i
i
dP~j (t)
= [H, P~j (t)] = expiHt/h [H, P~j ] expiHt/h
=
2
dt
dt
h

i
expiHt/h [V (x~1 , ..., x~n ), P~j ] expiHt/h
=
h

i
=
expiHt/h (i
h)x~j V (x~1 , ..., x~n ) expiHt/h
h

= (x~j V (x~1 , ..., x~n ))(t) .

(18)

From this, we get Ehrenfests Theorem,

mj

d2
d2
d2
h
x
~
(t)i
=
m
h(t)|
x
~
|(t)i
=
m
h(0)|x~j (t)|(0)i
j
j
j
j
dt2
dt2
dt2
= h(0)|x~j V (x~1 , ..., x~n )(t)|(0)i
= h(t)|x~j V (x~1 , ..., x~n )|(t)i = h(x~j V )(t)i .

(19)

Problem 3

Let e0 , e1 , ..., ej , ... be an orthonormal basis. This means

hej , en i = jn .

(20)

The operator A is defined via

Aen =

nen1 , f or n 1,

Ae0 = 0 .

(21)

(i) Consider the matrix element hej , A en i

q

hej , A en i = hAej , en i = h jej1 , en i = jhej1 , en i = jj1,n

=
n + 1n+1,j = n + 1hej , en+1 i = hej , n + 1en+1 i ,
which implies
A en =

n + 1en+1 .

(22)
(23)

(ii) In order to determine [A, A ], consider

hej , [A, A ]en i =
=
=
=
=
=

hej , AA en i hej , A A]en i

hej , A n + 1en+1 i hej , A nen1 i

n + 1hej , Aen+1 i nhej , A en1 i

n + 1 n + 1hej , en i n nhej , en i
(n + 1)jn njn
jn = hej , en i .

(24)

Thus
[A, A ] = I .
3

(25)

Problem 4

(i) Let A and B be two n n matrices such that [A, B] = cI where c is a complex number and
I is the n n identity matrix. Taking the trace,
T r([A, B]) = T r(cI) ,
T r(AB) T r(BA) = n c .

(26)

The left hand side of this equation is zero, since T r(AB) = T r(BA) for any two matrices. This
implies that c = 0.
(ii) Define the function f () = eA eB . Then,
df ()
=
d
=
=
=
=

eA AeB + eA BeB
eA (A + B)eB
eA (A + B)eA eA eB
eA (A + B)eA f ()
(A + eA BeA )f () .

(27)

Now use the fact that the commutator of A and B is proportional to the identity operator to
write
[eA , B] = eA [A, B] ,
eA B BeA = [A, B]eA ,
eA BeA = B + [A, B] .

(28)
(29)

Therefore

df ()
= (A + B + [A, B])f () .
d
Integrating this equation with respect to , one gets
f () = e(A+B)+

2
[A,B]
2

(30)

(31)

Finally setting = 1 we arrive at

f (1) = eA eB = e(A+B)+

[A,B]
2

(32)

which is the identity we wanted to prove.

Problem 5

(i) Lets first prove that if A is hermitian, then h, Ai is real for every D.
h, Ai = hA, i = h, Ai .
4

(33)

 Now we prove that if h, Ai is real for every D, then A is hermitian. That is, we
want to prove that h1 , A2 i = hA1 , 2 i, for every 1 , 2 D.
h1 + a2 , A(1 + a2 )i = hA(1 + a2 ), 1 + a2 i,

a C ,

ah1 , A2 i + a h2 , A1 i = ahA1 , 2 i + a hA2 , 1 i,

a C .

(34)
(35)

We can set a = 1 or a = i, and we get

h1 , A2 i = hA1 , 2 i , h2 , A1 i = hA2 , 1 i .

(36)

(ii) Consider the one-dimensional operator A

A = q 3 p + pq 3 = 2iq 3
then
h, Ai =

(2iq 3

hA, i =

((2iq 3
((2iq 3

d
3iq 2 ,
dq

d
3iq 2 )dq ,
dq

d
+ 3iq 2 ) )dq
dq

3iq 2 dx +

2iq 3

d
dq
dq




d
(6iq 2 + 2iq 3 )dq + 2iq 3 
=
3iq 2 dx

dq

(2iq 3

(38)

d
3iq 2 )) dq
dq

(37)

d
3iq 2 )dq = h, Ai .
dq

(39)

1
Note that should fall off faster than q3/2
for boundary terms to vanish, which is the case in
the space D.
(iii) Now we solve the eigenfunction equation of A:

(2iq 3

d
3iq 2 ) = ,
dq

C ,

1 d
+ 3iq 2
i
3
=
= 3
,
3
dq
2iq
2q
2q
log =

i 3
log q + C ,
4q 2
2

= C

Notice the interesting behavior at q = 0.

5

exp( i
)
4q 2
q 3/2

(40)

(41)
(42)
(43)

(iv) Lets restrict so that is square integrable. Rewrite = Re() + Im()i ,

= C
Z

0 2

| | dq = | C |

exp( iRe()+Im()
)
4q 2

exp Im()
2q 2

|q|3

q 3/2

0 2

dq = 2| C |

(44)
Z

exp Im()
2q 2
q3

dq .

(45)

The integrand behaves like q13 as q , so the integration is bounded at . The problem is
at q = 0. For Im() 0, the integral diverges because of the strong singularity at q = 0. For
Im() < 0, 0 as q 0, so the integral is finite. So is square integrable if Im() < 0.
(v) For those with Im() 0, n = 0 as discussed above. For those with Im() < 0,
n = 2 since (q > 0) is disconnected from (q < 0) because of the interesting fact that
(n)
(0) = 0. We can multiply any factor on (q < 0), and it is still an eigenfunction with
eigenvalue . The exponential factor assures that all the derivatives at q = 0 vanish and thus
differentiable there. So can be written as a linear combination of + and , where
+

exp( i
2)

4q

q 3/2

0
exp( i
2)
|q|

4q
3/2

q0 ,
q<0
q0
q<0

(vi) A short explanation is that

/ D. A has no eigenfunctions in D. Note that h , A i =
6
hA , i any more because when you integrate by parts the boundary term is no longer zero.
You are not getting = through the usual proof as learned before. In fact, you will get
= + 2iIm(), which is true of course. Summary: We confined ourselves in the space D,
and we found that A is hermitian. Then we tried to find its eigenfunctions (square integrable),
and they are not in D. However, once we broaden our space, A is no longer hermitian and thus
not necessarily has real eigenvalues.
However this does not explain the role of the differential equation A = that certainly
has the eigenfunction with in the lower half plane! The answer here is that the differential
operator A is the adjoint of the given A. In fact, any wave function is in the domain D(A )
of A , if there is a normalizable wave function f such that
h, Ai = hf, i ,

for all D .

In our case, = and f = . Check for your self that the vector , while not in the
domain D of A, is in the domain D(A ) of A .