Phys 622: Problem Set 1

Jay Sau
September 9, 2014
Problem (1). Plancks radiation law using energy quantization.
Assume that the radiation in a box is described by a scalar potential (r),
where r = (x, y, z) is position in a box. The Hamiltonian for the scalar field is
written as
Z
H = dr[(r)2 + ((r))2 ],
(1)
where (r) = t (r) is the canonically conjugate momentum (dont be alarmed
if you dont know what this means) and we have chosen units where c = 1.
Since the scalar field is in a box of size L the field can be expanded in Fourier
modes as
X
(r, t) = (L/2)3/2
k (t) sin (kx x) sin (ky y) sin (kz z),
(2)
k

where kj L/ must be an integer.

Show that the Hamiltonian is written in terms of the mode coordinates as
X
H=
(t k )2 + k 2 2k .
(3)
k

Note that the Hamiltonian is that of a set of decoupled oscillators one for each
wave-vector k with frequency (k) = |k|.
Assuming the Planck hypothesis, which is that each oscillator mode at k has
a discrete number of states with energy quantized as E(k) = n~(k) and the
Boltzmann distribution, show that the average energy per mode is
hE(k)i =

~|k|
.
e~|k|/kB T 1

(4)

Evaluate the average energy density per frequency mode per unit volume
X
P () = L3
hE(k)i((k) )
(5)
k

in the limit L by converting the sum into an integral over (k) and then
doing the integral over k in spherical coordinates. The result should be similar
to the Planck radiation formula.
1

Problem (2). Multiple slit interferometer.

Consider a single photon that passes through a barrier with four slits and
strikes a point X on the screen. Let us suppose that the amplitude for the
photon to reach each of the 4 slits is 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 respectively.
What is the probability to detect a photon at X if no detection is made at
the slits?
What is the probability to detect a photon at X is a photon detector (which
is assumed to not destroy the photon) is made at slit 4?
What is the same probability if a detector is placed between slit 3 and slit 4
so that the detector clicks if a photon goes through either of slit 3 or 4?
Problem (3). Constructing Unitary matrices in interferometers.
Show that any 2 2 unitary matrix can be written as a product of phase
shift matrices

 i
e
0
(6)
P1 () =
0 1


1 0
P2 () =
(7)
0 ei
and the balanced beam splitters
1
B=
2

1
1

1
1


.

(8)

Hint: Proceed by first showing this for real unitary matrices.

Problem (4). Another way to see the necessity of complex numbers.
Consider measurement of S where = x, y, z for spin-1/2 particles. For
each measurement there are two outcomes corresponding eigenkets |; i so
that
S |; i = |; i.
Spin-1/2 particles have the property that
X
|i; zi =
uij (z)|j; xi

(9)

(10)

j=

|i; yi =

uij (y)|j; xi,

(11)

j=

where i = and |uij (z)| = |uij (y)| = 1/ 2.

Using the fact that |hi; z|j; yi| = 1/ 2 show that all the uij (y) and uij (z)
cannot be real. Note that the constraint on the amplitudes are related to how
spin-1/2 states split in Stern-Gerlach apparatuses.