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SIF3011 Homework3

This document provides information and homework problems related to time-independent perturbation theory and quantum harmonic oscillators. It gives the key energy formulas for the harmonic oscillator that will be needed to solve the homework problems. These include the energy of a 1D harmonic oscillator and an isotropic 3D oscillator. It also reviews the raising and lowering operators for the harmonic oscillator and their effect on energy eigenstates. The homework then asks the student to calculate the first and second order energy corrections to harmonic oscillator eigenstates under different perturbation potentials.

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Izzah Rosli
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14 views

SIF3011 Homework3

This document provides information and homework problems related to time-independent perturbation theory and quantum harmonic oscillators. It gives the key energy formulas for the harmonic oscillator that will be needed to solve the homework problems. These include the energy of a 1D harmonic oscillator and an isotropic 3D oscillator. It also reviews the raising and lowering operators for the harmonic oscillator and their effect on energy eigenstates. The homework then asks the student to calculate the first and second order energy corrections to harmonic oscillator eigenstates under different perturbation potentials.

Uploaded by

Izzah Rosli
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SIF3011 QUANTUM MECHANICS II SEMESTER 2 2021/2022

HOMEWORK 3

Chapter 3 Time-Independent Perturbation Theory

By doing these exercises yourself will give you confidence to calculate quantum mechanics problems
and other advanced concepts that you will learn later in the course.

In this homework sheet, there are some additional information that compliments the lecture notes.
Please study them. No need to submit solutions to this homework.

To solve problems related to harmonic oscillators using operators, you need the following
information:

Energy of harmonic oscillator in one dimension or one degree of freedom

𝐸 = (𝑛 + 1⁄2)ℏ𝜔.

If it is an isotropic oscillator meaning the energy is the same at all dimensions, then the total energy
is

𝐸 = 𝐸! + 𝐸" + 𝐸# = -𝑛! + 𝑛" + 𝑛# + 3⁄2/ℏ𝜔.

Define the raising, 𝑎$ and lowering, 𝑎% operators (QM1):

'
𝑎± = (∓𝑖𝑝 + 𝑚𝜔𝑥). [2.47]
√)ℏ+,

Then

𝑎$ 𝜓- = √𝑛 + 1𝜓-$' or 𝑎$ |𝑛⟩ = √𝑛 + 1|𝑛 + 1⟩



𝑎% 𝜓- = √𝑛𝜓-%' or 𝑎% |𝑛⟩ = √𝑛|𝑛 − 1⟩.
[2.66]

where 𝑛 = 0,1,2, ⋯ . At ground state, 𝑛 = 0,

𝑎% 𝜓. = 𝑎% |0⟩ = 0. [2.58]

The orthonormality condition will be handy:

⟨𝑛|𝑚⟩ = 𝛿-+ .

The space operator can be expressed in terms of the raising and lowering operators:

ℏ
𝑥 = C)+, (𝑎$ + 𝑎% ). [2.69]

Take special note of the formulae in yellow boxes.


Reference: David Griffiths, Chapter 2 Section 2.3.1, pp 42 – 49.

Page 1 of 2
SIF3011 QUANTUM MECHANICS II SEMESTER 2 2021/2022

1. A simple harmonic oscillator in 1D is subjected to a perturbation:

𝜆𝐻/ = 𝑏𝑥 0

where 𝑏 is a constant. Calculate the first-order correction or the energy shift to the energy of the
ground state.

2. As in Question 1, the perturbation is now

𝜆𝐻/ = 𝑏𝑥.

What would be the first and second-order corrections or energy shifts of the ground state energy?

3. Consider an isotopic harmonic oscillator in two dimensions. The unperturbed Hamiltonian is given
by

𝑝!) 𝑝") 𝑚𝜔) )


𝐻. = + + (𝑥 + 𝑦 ) ).
2𝑚 2𝑚 2

(a) Is there any degeneracy in the oscillator?


(b) It is then subjected to a perturbation

𝑉 = 𝛿𝑚𝜔) 𝑥𝑦

where 𝛿 ≪ 1 is a dimensionless real number. Calculate the first-order energy shift of the
ground state (i.e. the first-order correction to the ground state energy).

Page 2 of 2

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