P6572 HW #5

Due October 1, 2010

1. Show that if
Π2
H= + eφ
2m
with
e
Π=p− A
c
that if
∂ρ
+∇·j=0
∂t
with probability density ρ = |ψ|2 that the probability flux
~ e
j= Im(ψ ∗ ∇ψ) − A|ψ|2
m mc
and that  
dΠ e dx dx
= × B) − (B × ) − e∇φ
dt 2c dt dt
(Π, p, A, and x are operators.)

2. Sakurai, p. 150, problem 37

Consider the neutron interferometer as shown on p. 150. Prove that the difference in the magnetic fields
that produce two successive maxima in the counting rates is given by
8π 2 ~c
∆B = ,
|e|gn λl
were gn (= −1.91) is the neutron magnetic moment in units of e − ~/2mn c.

3. SHO Partition function

The propagator
D i
E
K(x0 , t, x, 0) = x0 | e− ~ Ht | x

If we insert the identity in the form of the complete set of energy eigenstates we get
XD i
E
K(x0 , t, x, 0) = x0 | e− ~ Ht | j hj | xi
j
XD i
E
= x0 | e− ~ Ej t | j hj | xi
j
X i
e− ~ Ej t x0 | j hj | xi


=
j

1
Set x = x0 and integrate over all x
ˆ ∞ Xˆ ∞ i
K(x, t, x, 0)dx = e− ~ Ej t hj | xihx | jidx
−∞ j −∞
X i
= e− ~ Ej t
j

and then make the substitution t → −iβ~

ˆ ∞ X
K(x, t, x, 0) = e−β~Ej
−∞ j

We recognize the result as the partition function, where β = 1/kB T .

The propagator for the harmonic oscillator is
 mω  1 n mω  o
0 2
(x0 + x2 ) cos ωt − 2xx0
2
K(x , t; x, 0) = exp i (1)
2πi sin ωt 2 sin ωt
To determine the partition function from the propagator we follow the prescription outlined about. Put
x0 = x and t = −i~β and integrate over all x.
ˆ ∞
Z= K(x, −iβ, x, 0)dx
−∞

(a) Make the appropriate substitutions into Equation 1 and integrate to compute the partition function
for the harmonic oscillator
∞
e−β~ω/2 X 1
Z= −β~ω
= e−β(j+ 2 )~ω
1−e
j=0

(b) Show that the thermal average of the system’s energy is

X ∂
Ē = E(i)P (i) = − ln Z
∂β
i

where P (i) = e−β~Ei /Z. and that

 
1 1
Ē = ~ω + β~ω .
2 e −1

(c) Consider a crystal with N0 atoms which for small oscillations is equivalent to 3N0 decoupled oscilla-
tors. Assume that all oscillators have the same frequency. The mean thermal energy of the crystal
Ēcrystal is Ē summed over all the normal modes. Show that
 2
1 ∂ Ēcrystal θE eθE /T
C= = 3k
N0 ∂T T (eθE /T − 1)2
where θE = ~ω/k is the Einstein temperature and varies from crystal to crystal. Show that for
T  θE
Cqu (T ) → 3k

2
 and for T  θE  2
θE
Cqu → 3k e−θE /T
T
Although Cqu (T ) → 0 as T → 0, the exponential falloff disagrees with the observed C(T ) → T 3
behavior. This discrepancy arises from assuming that the frequencies of all normal modes are equal,
which is of course not generally true. This discrepancy was removed by Debye.

4. Sakurai, p. 148, problem 25

Consider an electron confined to the interior of a hollow cylindrical shell whose axis coincides with the
z−axis. The wave function is required to vanish on the inner and outer walls, ρ = ρa and ρb , and also at
the top and the bottom, z = 0 and L.

(a) Find the energy eigenfunctions. (Do not bother with normalization.) Show that the energy eigen-
values are given by
"  2 #
~2

2 lπ
Elmn = kmn + (l = 1, 2, 3, ..., m = 0, 1, 2, ...),
2me L

where kmn is the nth root of the transcendaental equation

Jm (kmn ρb )Nm (kmn ρa ) − Nm (kmn ρb )Jm (kmn ρa ) = 0.

(b) Repeat the same problem when there is a uniform magnetic field B = Bẑ for 0 < ρ < ρa . Note that
the energy eigenvalues are influenced by the magnetic field even though the electron never ”touches”
the magnetic field.
(c) Compare, in particular, the ground state of the B = 0 problem with that of the B 6= 0 problem.
Show that if we require the ground-state energy to be unchanged in the presence of B, we obtain
”flux quantization”
2πN ~c
πρ2a B = , (N = 0, ±1, ±2, ...).
e
5. Coherent state
A coherent state of a one-dimensional simple harmonic oscillator is defined to be an eigenstate of the
(non-Hermitian) annihilation operator a:
a| λi = λ| λi,

where λ is, in general, a complex number.

(a) Prove that

2 /2 †
| λi = e−|λ| eλa | 0i

is a normalized coherent state.

3
(b) Prove the minimum uncertainty relation for such a state.
(c) Write | λi as
∞
X
| λi = f (n)| ni.
n=0

Show that the distribution of |f (n)|2 with respect to n is of the Poisson form. Find the most probable
value of n, hence of E.
(d) Show that a coherent state can also be obtained by applying the translation (finite-displacement)
operator e−ipl/~ (where p is the momentum operator, and l is the displacement distance) to the
ground state.