Problem 1.

8 (h = 1)
SxSy = 4i j+ih j + j ih+j j+ih j + j ih+j = 4i j+ih+j j ih j
    

Sy Sx = 4i j+ih j + j ih+j j+ih j + j ih+j = 4i j+ih+j + j ih j

    

[Sx; Sy ] = SxSy Sy Sx = i j+ih+j j ih j = iSz

 
2
fSx; Sy g = SxSSy + Sy Sx = 0
SxSx = 14 j+ih j + j ih+j j+ih j + j ih+j = 41 j+ih+j + j ih j = 41 I
    

Similarly for all the other combinations of Si ; Sj .

Note that in the basis (j+i; j i) the operator
A++ j+ih+j + A j ih j + A+ j+ih j + A +j ih+j
is given by the 2  2 matrix  
A++ A+
A+ A

Problem 1.9 (h = 1)

n^ = (cos  sin ; sin  sin ; cos  )
S~
n^ = Sx cos  sin  + Sy sin  sin  + Sz cos 
= 21 sin  e ij+ih j + sin  eij ih+j + cos  ( j+ih+j j ih j )
 

Expressed as a matrix in the j+i; j i basis this operator reads:

1  cos  sin  e i  :
2 sin  ei cos 
and the eigenvalue equation becomes:
1  cos  sin  e i   x  = 1  x  ;
2 sin  ei cos  y 2 y
which has the solution
       !
x = sin  x cos
ei(1 cos  ) ; or (normalized) y = ei sin 2 :
2
y
Note that by changing ~n ! ~n (i.e. (;  ) ! ( + ;   ))) we get the eigenvector
for S~
n^ corresponding to eigenvalue 1=2:
  !
x = sin 2
y ei cos 2 :

1
Problem 1.11 (h = 1)
In the basis (j1i; j2i) the operator H is given by the matrix

H11 H12  with eigenvalues  = 1 H + H  q(H H )2 + 4H 2 :
H12 H22  2 11 22 11 22 12

Eigenvectors, when H12 6= 0:

!
1 2H12
(H11 H22 )  (H11 H22)2 + 4H122 ;
q
C
with the normalization constant C is given by
  q 
C 2 = 2 4H122 + (H11 H22 ) (H11 H22)  (H11 H22 )2 + 4H122 :
One can check that the limit H12 ! 0 makes sense. For instance, if H11 > H22 , the
eigenvector for + goes to (1; 0) for H12 ! 0.
Alternatively one can use the results in problem 1.9 to nd eigenvalues and eigen-
vectors: Decompose the matrix for H as follows:

H11 H12  = 1  H11 + H22 0 
1 
H 11 H 22 2 H12

H12 H22 2 0 H11 + H22 + 2 2H12 (H11 H22)
1 1 q
= (H11 + H22 )I + (H11 H22)2 + 4H122 cos  sin   ;
2 2 sin  cos 
where
cos  = q H11 H222 2 etc:
(H11 H22) + 4H12
This corresponds to the situation in problem 1.9 with  = 0 and we can now read
o the eigenvalues and eigenvectors.

Problem 1.12 (h = 1)

In the notation of problem 1.9 we have  = 0;  = and thus the eigenvector
corresponding to eigenvalue 1/2 (h = 1) is:
jn^; +i = cos 2 j+i + sin 2 j i:
The operator Sx corresponds to S~
n^ with = =2, i.e. the eigenvector of Sx with
eigenvalue 1=2 is
jx^; +i = p1 j+i + j i
 
2
2
(a well known result, of course).
The probability of nding the system in the state jx^; +i after a measurement of Sx,
given that it initially was in the state jn^; +i, is
jhx^; +jn^; +ij2 = 21 (1 + sin ):

The expectation value of Sx in the state jn^; +i can be calculated using matrix
notation or the ket-bra notation of problem 1.8. Using the ket-bra notation one
obtains:
hSxi = hn^; +j 12 j+ih j + j ih+j jn^; +i = 21 sin :
 

h(Sx hSx)2 ii = hSx2i hSxi2 = 14 41 sin2 = 41 cos2 :