Quantum Mechanics II - Homework Assignment 1

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

January 30, 2013

1) Estimate the ground-state energy of a 1D simple harmonic oscillator using a trial wavefunction (x) =
Ae
|x|
with to be varied.
Hint: You may use that
_

0
e
x
x
n
dx = n!
(n+1)
Let us calculate the energy using the variational method and the given trial wavefunction:
E
0
=
|H|
|
=
_

0
e
x
_

2
2m

2
x
2
+
m
2
x
2
2
_
e
x
dx
_

0
e
2x
dx
=

2
2m
_

0
e
2x
dx
_

0
e
2x
dx
+
m
2
2
_

0
x
2
e
2x
dx
_

0
e
2x
dx
=

2

2
2m
+
m
2
2
2(2)
3
(2)
1
=

2

2
2m
+
m
2
4
2
Then, we have to minimize the energy with respect to :
E
0

=

2
m

m
2
2
3
= 0

4
=
m
2

2
2
2

2
=
m

2
Replacing this term in the energy:
E
0
=

2
+

2
4
(1)

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
Shankar Ex. 17.2.1 Consider H
1
= x
4
for the oscillator problem. (Use the operator algebra, expand-
ing x in terms of a and a

.)
(1) Show that
E
1
n
=
3
2

4m
2

2
[1 + 2n + 2n
2
] (2)
Using the operator algebra, H
1
has the form:
H
1
= x
4
=

2
4m
2

2
(a +a

)
4
=

2
4m
2

2
_
a
4
+ 4a
3
a

+ 6a
2
(a

)
2
+ 4a(a

)
3
+ (a

)
4
_
(3)
Then, to calculate the rst energy level we use:
E
1
n
= n|H
1
|n (4)
Notice that using equation (3) in (4), due to the operator algebra, only the middle term in the
parenthesis holds. But also, notice that 6a
2
(a

)
2
represents the sum of the six combinations of
the operators a
2
and (a

)
2
, since the ladder operators are not hermitian. Therefore:
E
1
n
=

2
4m
2

2
n|
_
aaa

+aa

aa

+aa

a +a

aaa

+a

aa

a +a

aa
_
|n
n|aaa

|n = n|a(N + 1)a

|n = n|aNa

+aa

|n = (n + 1)n|1 +aa

|n = (n + 1)(n + 2)
n|aa

aa

|n = n|aNa

|n = (n + 1)n|aa

|n = (n + 1)
2
n|aa

a|n = n|aa

N|n = nn|aa

|n = n(n + 1)
n|a

aaa

|n = n|Naa

|n = (n + 1)n|N|n = n(n + 1)
n|a

aa

a|n = n|NN|n = n
2
n|a

aa|n = n|a

Na|n = (n 1)n|a

a|n = n(n 1)
E
1
n
=

2
4m
2

2
_
(n + 1)(n + 2) + (n + 1)
2
+n(n + 1) +n(n + 1) +n
2
+n(n + 1)
_
=

2
4m
2

2
(6n
2
+ 6n + 3)
=
3
2
4m
2

2
(2n
2
+ 2n + 1)
That is the same as (2).
2
(2) Argue that no matter how small is, the perturbation expansion will break down for some large
enough n. What is the physical reason?
Let us compare the energy for the small perturbation and the normal SHO:
E
1
n
E
0
n
=
3
2
4m
2

2
2n
2
+ 2n + 1
_
n +
1
2
_

for a small perturbation, this relation must be E

1
n
E
0
n
, i.e.
E
1
n
E
0
n
1, thus
1
3
2
4m
2

2
2n
2
+ 2n + 1
_
n +
1
2
_

2m
2

3
3

2n
2
+ 2n + 1
_
n +
1
2
_
where, for a large value of n and small value of , the relation does not hold because the
perturbation is no longer small.
The physical reason is the form of the perturbation. Since H
1
= x
4
, for a large values of x,
this term is going to blow up and the system is no longer a SHO.
Shankar Ex. 17.2.2 Consider a spin-1/2 particle with gyromagnetic ratio in a magnetic eld B =
Bi + B
0
k. Treating B as a perturbation, calculate the rst- and second-order shifts in energy and
rst-order shift in wave function for the ground state. Then compare the exact answers expanded to
the corresponding orders.
The Hamiltonian for this problem is:
H = B =

2
B =

2
(B
x
+B
0

z
) (5)
where the Hamiltonian for the unperturbed system is H
0
=

2
B
0

z
and the perturbed Hamilto-
nian is H
1
=

2
B
x
. Using (5), the eigenvalue problem has the solutions:
0 =

2
_
(B
0
E)(B
0
E) B
2
_
E

2
_
B
2
0
+B
2
=
B
0
2

1 +
B
2
B
2
0
=
B
0
2
_
1 +
B
2
2B
2
0
+...
_
Therefore:
E
0

=
B
0
2
, E
2

=
B
2
4B
0
(6)
Now, let us calculate the energy of the rst- and second-order shifts using time-independent pertur-
bation theory:
E
1

= |H
1
|
= | BS
x
|
=
B
2
|(S
+
+S

)|
= 0 (7)
3
E
2

m
|m|H
1
||
2
E
0

E
0
m
=

2
B
2
4
||(S
+
+S

)||
2
E
0

E
0

=

2
B
2
4
||S
+
| +|S

||
2
B
0
=
B
2
4B
0
||S

||
2
=
B
2

2
4B
0
=
B
2
4B
0
(8)
Comparing (7) and (8) with (6), we can verify our results.
Finally, the rst-order shift in the wave function is given by:
| = |
0
+|
1
= |
0
+

m
|m
0
m
0
|H
1
|
E
0

E
0
m
= |
0
+
|H
1
|
E
0

E
0
m
|
= |
0

B
2
|S

|
B
0

|
= |
0

B
2B
0
|
4) Consider a particle of mass m in a 1D innite square-well potential: V (x) = 0 for |x| < L/2 and
V (x) = + for |x| > L/2. Recall that the ground-state energy is
2

2
/2mL
2
. The three questions
below are independent.
a) Find the rst-order shift of the ground-state energy if a perturbing potential V
pert
(x) = (x) is
added at the center of the well.
In this case, the Hamiltonian for the perturbed system is H
1
= (x). In addition, the ground
state of the 1D innite square-well potential is given by
|n
0
=
_
2
L
cos
_

2L
x
_
(9)
Then, using (4) and (9), we can calculate the rst-order shift of the ground state energy:
E
1
n
= n
0
|H
1
|n
0

=
2
L
n
0
|(x)|n
0

=
2
L
_
L/2
L/2
(x) cos
2
_

2L
x
_
dx
=
2
L
cos
2
_

2L
0
_
=
2
L
4
b) Consider the case where there are two identical bosons of mass m in this 1D potential, and
suppose there is an attraction V
pert
(x, x

) = (x x

), where x and x are the coordinates of

the two particles. (This is known as a contact interaction between the two particles.) Find
the rst-order energy shift in this case, for small .
Let us rst compute the solution for the unperturbated system. Given the ground state for a
single particle in a 1D potential in (9) , we can write the state for two identical bosons as the
product of two states:
|
0
1
(x, x

) = |
1
(x) |
1
(x

) =
2
L
cos
_

2L
x
_
cos
_

2L
x

_
(10)
In the case of the energy, is given by the sum of the energy of the two particles:
E
0
1
= E
1
+E
2
=

2

2
mL
2
(11)
Now, using the same procedure as part a), we can calculate the rst-order energy shift for this
case:
E
1
1
=
0
1
|H
1
|
0
1

=
4
L
_
L/2
L/2
_
L/2
L/2
(x x

) cos
2
_
x
2L
_
cos
2
_
x

2L
_
dxdx

=
4
L
_
L/2
L/2
cos
4
_
x

2L
_
dx

=
4
L
_
3
8
+
1

_
L
=
3
2

4

where the integration was performed using the software Mathematica.

c) Returning to the case of a single particle, consider instead a small increase or decrease of L. Can
our ordinary perturbation theory be used to compute the rst-order shift of the energy in this
case? Why or why not?
No, we cannot use perturbation theory because the rst-order correction diverges. Let us
imagine that the walls are shrinking, thenat the time t > 0 we can write the Hamiltonian
as H = H
0
+ V , where V is given by two bars of innite lenght but nite width. Once we
calculate the rst order correction in energy with this V , we see it blows up. Hence, we cannot
use perturbation theory.
5
Shankar Ex. 17.3.1 Use the dipole selection rules to show that H
1
has the above form and carry out
the evaluation of . (Compute matrix element needed for linear Stark eect for n=2 of hydrogen.)
Applying the dipole selection rule (eq. 17.2.21) in the Hamiltonian of the Stark eect for the n = 2
of hydrogen, we have that only when l
2
= l
1
1, l
2
= l
1
and, m
2
= m
1
1 are the non-zero values
of the matrix elements of Z. Therefore, only the terms 200 and 210 do not vanished.
Then, is described in the book (eq. 17.3.4) as:
= 200|eEZ|210 (12)
where:
|200 =
1
4

_
1
a
0
_
3/2
_
2
r
a
0
_
e
r/2a
(13)
|210 =
1
4

_
1
a
0
_
3/2
r
a
0
e
r/2a
cos (14)
Replacing (13) and (14) in (12):
= 200|eEr sin |210
=
_
1
16
_
1
a
0
_
3
r
a
0
_
2
r
a
0
_
e
r/a
0
cos eEr cos r
2
sin drdd
=
eE
8
_
1
a
0
_
3
_

0
_

0
r
4
a
0
_
2
r
a
0
_
e
r/a
0
cos
2
sin drd
=
eE
24a
4
0
_

0
r
4
_
2
r
a
0
_
e
r/a
0
dr
=
eE
24a
4
0
__

0
2r
4
e
r/a
0
dr
_

0
r
5
a
0
e
r/a
0
dr
_
=
eE
24a
4
0
_
2(4!)a
5
0
5!a
5
0
_
=
eE
24
(72a
0
)
= 3eEa
0
6