GRADUATE QUANTUM MECHANICS: 502 Spring 2002

Solutions to Assignment 1.
1. (a) To construct an eigenket of ~a , we take the combination
X
~
eik~r |~ri,
|~ki =

(1)

~
r

where ~k = (kx , ky , kz ). Now

X

|~ki =

~
r
X

~
r
X

eik~r ~a |~ri
~

eik~r |~r + ~ai

~

eik(~r ~a) |~ri

~
r0
~

eika |~ki.

(2)

(b) The action of H on the state |ri is

X

H|ri = Eo |~ri

[|~r ~ai + |~r + ~ai]

(3)

~
a=(
x,
y ,
z)

so that the action of H on |~ki is

H|~ki =

X
~
r

eik~r H|~ri

eik~r Eo |~ri
~

~
r

[|~r ~ai

~
a=(
x,
y ,
z)

i~
k~
r

Eo

(e

i~
k~
a

+e

i~
k~
a

) |~ri

~
a=(
x,
y ,
z)

~
r

= E(~k)|~ki.

(4)

where
E(~k)

= Eo 2

cos(~k a)

~
a=(
x,
y ,
z)

= Eo 2(cos kx + cos ky + cos kz )

(5)

is the corresponding energy eigenstate.

2. (a) Since momentum operators always commute, any function of these operators also commutes, so that
~ ~

~ ~0

[d~, d~0 ] = [eiP d/h , eiP d /h ] = 0

(6)

Translation operators commute.

(b) Rotations about different axes do not commute, so that
[D(
n, ), D(
n0 , 0 )] 6= 0
1

(7)

(c) The inverstion operator reverses the direction of all translation, so that
d~ 1 = d~

(8)

Consequently, the inversion operator does not commute with the translation operator.
[, d~] 6= 0.

(9)

(d) Under the inversion operation, angular momentum operators are invariant, J~ 1 = J~ so that [, J~] = 0.
Consequently, the inversion operation commutes with functions of the angular momentum operator, and
thus commutes with the rotation operator.
[, D(R)] = 0.

(10)

3. Sakurai problem 9. When we time reverse a momentum eigenstate, we reverse the sign of the momentum, in
addition to complex conjugating the state. We therefore expect that the time reversal of (p) is (p) . To
show this explicitly,

Z
D 0 0
0
hp||i = hp|
d p |p i(p )
Z
= hp| dD p0 |p0 i (p0 )
Z
= hp| dD p0 | p0 i (p0 )
Z
=

(D) (p+p0 )

z }| {
dD p0 hp| p0 i (p0 ) = (p)

(11)

4. Sakurai problem 12. We can rewrite the matrix as

H = ASz2 +

B 2
2
[S + S
]
2 +

where S = Sx iSy . Written out explicitly for S = 1 we have

A 0 B
H0 0 0
B 0 A

(12)

(13)

where I have taken h = 1. Taking det[E1 H] = E((E A)2 B 2 ) we see that the energy eigenvalues are
E = A B, 0

(14)

The corresponding eigenkets are

|i =

| + 1i | 1i

,
2

(E = A B)
(15)

and for E = 0, |0i = |ms = 0i.

~ is unchanged by time-reversal. Since
~ 1 = S
The Hamiltonian is invariant under time-reversal, since S
2mJ
| mJ i, we have
|mJ i = (i)
|i = |i,

|0i = |0i,

(16)

i.e the lower and upper eigenstates are odd-parity under time reversal, whereas the central state is even-parity
under time-reversal.
2

5. Sakurai, chapter 4, Q 6. This is a tricky problem. There are two ways you could do it: (i) solving the complete
problem but to exponential accuracy or (ii) by directly calculating the matrix elements between the states on
the left, and right hand side. I shall illustrate method (ii). To begin, let us consider the problem when the
length a is infinitely large. In this case, the wavefunction for the left, and right hand ground-states are

(x > a + b)
0
A sin[k(a + b x)] (a < x < b)
R (x) = hx|R i =

x
(x < a)
Be
(x < a b)
0
A sin[k(a + b + x)] (b < x < a)
(17)
L (x) = hx|L i =

(x > a)
Bex
q
where =

2m
(Vo
h
2

+ E)

2m
V .
h
2 o

Now the tricky bit is that we need to construct orthogonalized wavefunctions. To do this, we construct
1

|R i =

[1 |hL |R i|2 ] 2
|L i = |L i

[|R i |L ihL |R i]
(18)

These states are now orthogonal and normalized.

We shall now approximate the complete wavefunction in the form
|i = R |R i + L |L i

(19)

Applying the Hamiltonian to this expression, and demanding that H|i = E|i, we obtain the eigenvalue
equation Hab b = Eb , (a, b {R, L}), where


hR |H|R i hR |H|L i
.
(20)
Hab
hL |H|R i hL |H|L i
To evaluate this matrix, it is helpful to realize that the complete Hamiltonian can be written
H = HR + VL = HL + VR

(21)

where HL is the Hamiltonian for the left-hand well and HR is the Hamiltonian for the right-hand well and
=
=

VR
VL

Vo [(x a) (x a b)],
Vo [(x + a + b) (x + a)],

(22)
V (x)
L

V(x)
( x)
Vo

R
x

(a+b)

Fig. 1.: Showing R (x) and the potential VL (x).

- Vo
-(a+b)

-a

With this set-up, we note that HL,R |L,R i = Eo |L,R i , where Eo is the energy of an isolated well. If you now
compute the matrix element hR |H|L i, you obtain
hR |H|L i

hR |VR |L i
= EhR |L i + p
1 |hL |R i|2

hR |VR |L i
= p
1 |hL |R i|2
hR |VR |L i.

(23)

In the last step, we have noted that |hL |R i| is exponentially smaller than unity, so that terms containing
this quantity have been dropped. The splitting between the two states is then going to be simply
= |hR |VR |L i|

(24)

Now to calculate this, we need to compute the exponential tail in L . Applying continuity of the wavefunction
and continuity of the logarithmic derivative, we obtain
k tan(kb) =

A sin kb = Bea ,

(25)

To leading exponential accuracy, this gives

r
A

2
,
b

1
1+
,
b
b
r
2 a
e
=
b b

(26)

Carrying out the integral, we then obtain

Z

a+b

2
sin[k(a + b x)]Bex
dx
b
a
 
Z b
ko (2a+b)
2
e
= Vo
dx sin[kx]ex
b

0
 
Z b
ko (2a+b)
2
e
= Vo
dxIme(+ik)x
b

hR |VR |L i = Vo

2ko /

z }| {
 


ko (2a)
2
eikb
e
Vo
Im
+ ik
b 2
4ko
e2a
Vo
b3


2 h2 2
=
e2a
b mb2

(27)

The splitting between the two levels is then

E = 2 =
q
where =

2m
V
h
2 o

for large Vo .
4

h2 2a
e
mb3

(28)

 + / 2
L
R

V(x)

Vo

-(a+b)

-a

/ 2
R
L

(a+b)

V(x)

Vo

-(a+b)

-a

(a+b)

Fig. 2.: Showing the even and odd wavefunctions for the symmetric potential well.