16.4.

PROBLEM SET IV 220

Answers: Problem set IV
1. (a) From Ehrenfests theorem, the equation of motion for the spin is given
by i
d

Sm
dt
= [

H,

S
m
]. Making use of the spin commutation relation, we
have (summation on repeated spin indicies assumed)
i
d

m
dt
= J[

m
,

S

m
](

m+1
+

S

m1
) = iJ

m
(

m+1
+

S

m1
) .
We thus obtain the required equation of motion.
(b) Since S
m+1
+S
m1
2S|
x=m
+
2
S|
x=m
and, for classical vectors, SS =
0, we obtain the required equation of motion.
(c) Substituting the expression for S(x, t), we nd that the equation is solved
with (k) = Jk
2

S
2
c
2
. The corresponding spin conguration is shown
right.
(d) Substituting for the spin raising and lowering operators, the identity is
clear. Expanding to the spin raising and lowering operators to leading
order in
a

a
2S
about the ferromagnetic ground state (in which all spins are
aligned along e
z
, we obtain

H = JNS
2
+JS

m
_
a

m
a
m
+a

m+1
a
m+1

_
a

m
a
m+1
+ h.c.
_
_
+O(S
0
) ,
where h.c. denotes the Hermitian conjugate. Rearranging, we obtain the
required expression for the Hamiltonian.
(e) With the denitions given in the problem,
[a
k
, a

k
] =
1
N

m,n
e
ikm+ik

n
[a
m
, a

n
]
. .
mn
=
1
N

m
e
i(kk

)m
=
kk
.
Then subtituted into the Hamiltonian,

H = JNS
2
+S

kk

1
N

m
e
i(kk

)m
. .

kk

(e
ik
1)(e
ik

1)a

k
a
k

= JNS
2
+S

k
|e
ik
1|
2
a

k
a
k
.
From this result we obtain the required dispersion relation.
2. Standard bookwork allows a derivation of the amplitude c
n
(t). In the present
case, with V (t) = eE
0
ze
t/
, the matrix element
2s
|z|
1s
= 0 since the 1s
and 2s wavefunctions both have even parity while z has odd parity. Therefore
the probability of nding the atom in the 2s state is identically zero.
The matrix elements
2p1
|z|
1s
= 0 since the part of the integral will
vanishes,

2p1
|z|
1s

_
2
0
de
i
= 0 .
The only non-zero matrix element is:

2p0
|z|
1s
=
_
1
32a
5
0
_
1/2
_
1
a
3
0
_
1/2
_
r
2
dr r
2
e
r/a0
e
r/2a0
_
2 sind cos
2

=
1
4

2a
4
0

4!
(3/2a
0
)
5

4
3
=
256a
0
243

2
.
Taking the limit as t , the t

integral is given by,

_

0
dt

e
t

/
e
i(E2pE1s)t

/
=
1
1/ iE/
,
Advanced Quantum Physics
16.4. PROBLEM SET IV 221
where E = E
2p
E
1s
= 3R

/4. Putting all this together we obtain the

probability of being in the 2p
0
state after a long time as
|c
2p0
()|
2
=
e
2
E
2
0
a
2
0
2
15
3
10

1
E
2
+
2
/
2
.
3. From the lecture notes, the decay rate for unpolarized light is given by,
A =

3
|d
kj
|
2
3
0
c
3

,
and the lifetime is thus = 1/A. Take for example the 2p
0
state of Hydrogen
decaying to 1s (the other 2p states must have the same lifetime, but this one
depends on the same matrix elements that we computed in in the previous
question. Only the z-component of d is non-zero for this transition, (the
integral yields zero if you compute the matrix elements of x or y) giving,
2p
0
| ez |1s =
256ea
0
243

2
= 6.31 10
30
Cm.
The energy of the emitted photon is
=
3
4
R

=
3
4

me
4
2(4
0
)
2

2
= 1.56 10
16
Hz .
Hence, the lifetime of the state is = 1.56 10
9
s.
The only lower lying state to which 3s can decay is 2p according to the selection
rules. We can expect the matrix element 3s| ez |2p ea
0
on dimensional
grounds, and thus not very dierent from 2p| ez |1s. The main dierence
between the lifetimes of the 3s and 2p levels will arise from the dierence in

3
. For the 3s2p transition,
= (
1
4

1
9
)R

=
5
36
R

.
The ratio of the lifetimes is therefore approximately
(3s)
(2p)

_
3
4

36
5
_
3
150 .
The only state lying below 2s is 1s, but the decay 2s1s is not allowed by
the electric dipole selection rules. The 2s state is metastable. The dominant
decay is actually via two-photon emission, a process which can arise through
second order perturbation theory, and occurs very slowly. In practice, atoms
may well make transitions from 2s to 2p (for example) before decay takes place
as a result of collision processes. Alternatively, decay of the 2s state may be
induced by the application of an external electric eld, which mixes 2s and 2p
through the Stark eect.
4. From the lecture notes, the Born Approximation gives,
d
d
=
_
m
2
2
_
2

_
V (r)e
ir
d
3
r

2
,
where is the dierence beweeen incoming and outgoing wave vectors, of
magnitude 2k sin
2
(/2). In the case where V (r) = V (r), i.e. where the potential
is centrally symmetric, it is convenient to take as the axis of polar coordinates
for the purpose of integration, so that r = ||r cos

. The integral thus

becomes
_
V (r)e
ir
d
3
r =
_
V (r)e
ir cos

2 sin

r
2
dr
= 2
_
V (r)r
2
dr
_
e
ir cos

ir
_

0
=
4

_
V (r)rdr sin(r) ,
Advanced Quantum Physics
16.4. PROBLEM SET IV 222
and hence
d
d
=
_
2m

2
_
2

_
V (r)rdr sin(r)

2
.
Taking V (r) = V
0
for r a, and V (r) = 0 otherwise, the integral becomes
(integrating by parts),
V
0
_
a
0
r sin(r)dr = V
0
__
r
cos(r)

_
a
0
+
_
a
0
cos(r)

dr
_
=
V
0

2
(sin(a) a cos(a)) ,
and thus
d
d
=
_
2mV
0

3
(sin(a) a cos(a))
_
2
.
In the low energy limit, 0,
sin(a) a cos(a) a
1
3!
(a)
3
a(1 (a)
2
/2) = (a)
3
/3 ,
and hence
d
d
=
_
2mV
0
a
3
3
2
_
2
.
This is independent of and hence independent of , so isotropic, as required.
The total cross-section is obtained by integrating over solid angles, which simply
involves multiplying by 4 in this case

tot
= 4
_
2mV
0
a
3
3
2
_
2
.
5. (a) When kR 1, s-wave scattering dominates. In this case, the problem is
equivalent to a one-dimensional scattering problem with an innite wall
at the origin and a -function repulsive potential at r = R.
The wavefunction has the solution,
u(r) =
_
C sinkr r < R
sin(kr +
0
) r > R
From the continuity condition on the wavefunction and the derivative, we
obtain
Asin(kR) = sin(KR +
0
)
kAcos(kR) k cos(kR +
0
) = U
0
sin(kR +
0
) .
From the rst equation, we obtain A =
sin(kR+0)
sin(kR)
which substituted into
the second equation, leads to the relation

0
= tan
1
_
k tan(kR)
k U
0
tan(kR)
_
kR.
The structure is similar to that obtained for the spherical square potential
but with dierent resonant behaviour.
(b) With U
0
1/R, k, and U
0
tan(kR) k, we obtain the resonance condi-
tion
k tan(kR)
k U
0
tan(kR)

k
U
0
tan(kR)
0 ,
i.e.
0
kR, the value that it would have for a hard sphere.
Advanced Quantum Physics
16.4. PROBLEM SET IV 223
(c) Now supose that tan(kR) is small. In this case, we have a resonance when
k U
0
tan(kR) = 0, i.e. tan(kR) =
k
U0
1, and

0
=

2
kR

2
.
The cross-section
0
=
4
k
2
sin
2

0

4
k
2
. The resonance is near tan(kR) =
0, which implies that kR = (2n+1)/2, the quasi-bound state of the well.
6. Substituting the denition of S() into the dening condition we obtain
_
1
i
4

_
1 +
i
4

_
=

+
i
4
[

+
= (g

.
Rearranging the left and right hand sides, we obtain
i
4
[

,
from which we obtain the required identity. The latter equation is shown to be
consistent with the solution

= (i/2)[

] by making use of the anticom-

mutation relation of the matrices.
7. Using the identity
[ p, S p] = p
i
p
j
_
0 [
i
,
j
]
[
i
,
j
] 0
_
= 2i
ijk
p
i
p
j
_
0
k

k
0
_
.
Therefore, since p p = 0, we nd that the Hamiltonian commutes with the
Helicity operator.
Turning to the angular momentum, taking each term separately,
[

H,

L
i
] =
ijk
[ p, x
j
p
k
] =
ijk
(
l
p
l
x
j
p
k
x
j
p
k

l
p
l
)
=
ijk
(i
l

lj
p
k
) = i p.
[

H, S] = [ p, S] =
1
2
(
i
p
i

j

j

i
p
i
)
=
1
2
__
0 p
p 0
_
,
_
0
0
__
=
1
2
_
0 1
1 0
_
[ p, ]
= i
_
0 1
1 0
_
p = i p .
Putting these terms together we nd [

H,

J] = 0.
8. Applying the plane wave solution of the Dirac equation (p) = e
px
u(p) (de-
ned in this form for positive and negative energy states) to the two edges of
the potential step, we obtain the boundary conditions
_
_
_
1
0
p
E+m
0
_
_
_e
ipa/2
+r
_
_
_
1
0

p
E+m
0
_
_
_e
ipa/2
= t

_
_
_
1
0
p

+m
0
_
_
_e
ip

a/2
+r

_
_
_
1
0

+m
0
_
_
_e
ip

a/2
t

_
_
_
1
0
p

+m
0
_
_
_e
ip

a/2
+ r

_
_
_
1
0

+m
0
_
_
_e
ip

a/2
= t
_
_
_
1
0
p
E+m
0
_
_
_e
ipa/2
,
Advanced Quantum Physics
16.4. PROBLEM SET IV 224
where the reection and transmission coecients are dened in the gure.
From these equations we obtain
2e
ipa/2
= t

(1 + )e
ip

a/2
+r

(1 )e
ip

a/2
2re
ipa/2
= t

(1 )e
ip

a/2
+r

(1 + )e
ip

a/2
te
ipa/2
= e
ip

a/2
t

+e
ip

a/2
r

te
ipa/2
=
_
e
ip

a/2
t

e
ip

a/2
r

_
.
Rearranging these equations we obtain
r

=
2
1 +
1
e
ip

1
e
ip

a
e
i(pp

)a/2
,
where = (1 )/(1 + ). Finally, with this result, we obtain
t = e
ipa
1
cos(p

a) i sin(p

a)(1 +
2
)/2
From this result, we obtain the expression for the transmitted current shown
in the question.
For energies E

> m, the particles traverse the barrier as a plane wave. In

particular, when p

a = n there is perfect transmission. For m > E

> m,
p

is imaginary and exchange of particles occurs by resonant tunnelling across

the barrier. For energies E

< m, the Klein paradox regime, p

is real and
positive, and there is again perfect transmission when p

a = n. Here the
transmission is mediated by negative energy states under the barrier.
Advanced Quantum Physics