PHY3601 Assignment 3 Semester 2 2012/2013

1. Consider the following localised triangular wave:

( )
3
3
| | for | |
( ) .
2
0 for | |
a x x a
x
a
x a

<
=

>

(a) Show that the wave is normalised i.e.
2
| ( )| 1 x dx

=
}
.
(b) Find the expression of its Fourier transform and show that it is also normalised.
(c) Find the estimates for x A and k A and show that they obey the wave inequality.


2. Consider reflection from the following potential


0
0 for 0
( ) for 0 .
for
x
V x V x a
x a
<

= < <

>

(a) Solve the Schrodinger equation to find ( ) x for 0 x < and 0 x a s s . The solution
should contain only one unknown constant.
(b) Show that the reflection coefficient at 0 x = is 1 R= . What is the physical reason for this
answer.


3. Given the two states

1
1 0
; 2 .
1
i
i i
e i
t
|

| | | |
| |
= =
| |
| |
+
\ . \ .


(a) Normalize both kets to give
n
and
n
| .
(b) Find the inner product between and | . Hence find the probability of finding the
state given the state | .
(c) Find the operators | and | and verify that they are hermitian conjugate of
each other.
(d) Show that the projection operator

n n
P

= obeys the idempotent property and its

action on an arbitrary state ( )
t
o | = always give a ket in the same direction as
.


4. Given the position representation of the energy eigenstates of a particle in an infinite square
well potential between 0 and L as


2
sin .
n
n x
x
L L
t
|
| |
=
|
\ .


(a) Show that these eigenkets
n
| are orthonormal.
(b) A particle is in the state
2 9
3 4 | | = + . Find the normalized ket.
(c) For the state given in (b), find the probabilities of all possible energies.
(d) If the nth energy level is given by
2 2 2 2
( ) /(2 )
n
E n mL t = , find the energy expectation
value of the particle in state .


5. Given the energy eigen states n of a harmonic oscillator with eigenvalues
1
2
( )
n
E n e = + .
(a) For state n , show that ( )
1
2
x p n A A = + .
(b) Find x p A A for the state
( )
1
2
0 3 1 = + .


6. Consider a particle in a central potential. Given the state , l m as an eigenstate of
2

L and

z
L .
(a) Compute the sum
2 2
x y
L L A + A .
(b) Of which values of l and m does the sum in part (a) vanish?


7. The energy of the electron of atomic hydrogen is given by


4
3 2 2
.
2 3
e
m e
E =

(a) What are the possible quantum numbers l for the electron? Write such electronic state
0
in terms of the superposition of the angular momentum states , l m .
(b) If the z -component of the angular momentum of the electron is measured as , what are
the possible values of l ? Write such new electronic state
1
in terms of , l m .
(c) The subsequent measurement of the elctrons angular momentum magnitude gives 2 .
What is the present electronic state
2
and why the value of m doesnt change?
(d) The final measurement is made on the x -component of the electrons angular
momentum. Give the resultant state
3
in terms of the original , l m states and
explain why
3
is not necessarily the same with
2
.
(e) If the electron suddenly makes a Balmer transition to the first excited state, what is the
state
4
of the electron in terms of , l m ? Give the expression of the frequency being
emitted.


8. A spin-
1
2
system is in the state


1 1
.
3 3
i

+
= + +

(a) If spin is measured in the z-direction, what are the probabilities of finding / 2 ?
(b) If instead, spin is measured in the x-direction, what is the probability of finding spin-up?
(c) Calculate
z
S and
x
S for this state.