Prof. E.

Pajer PQM 4 Michaelmas 2024

Principles of Quantum Mechanics - Problems 4

Please email me with any comments about these problems, particularly if you spot an error.

1. Suppose a system has a basis of just two orthonormal states |1i and |2i, with respect to which the total
Hamiltonian has the matrix representation
!
E1 V0 eiωt
,
V0 e−iωt E2

where V0 is independent of time. At t = 0, the system is in state |1i. Show that the probability of a
transition from state |1i to state |2i in time interval t is

4V02
P (t) = sin2 ((E1 − E2 + ~ω)t/2~) + O(V 4 ) ,
(E1 − E2 + ~ω)2

to lowest non–trivial order in V0 . Solve this two–state problem exactly to find the true value of P (t) and
hence state conditions necessary for the perturbative approach to be valid here.

2. A particle of mass m and charge e is contained within a cubical box of side a. Initially the particle is
in the stationary state of energy 3π 2 ~2 /2ma2 . At time t = 0 a uniform electric field of strength E is
switched on parallel to one of the edges of the cube. Obtain an expression to second order in e for the
probability of measuring the particle to have energy 3π 2 ~2 /ma2 at time t.

3. A harmonic oscillator of angular frequency ω is acted on by the time–dependent perturbation

 2
qEX t
√ exp − 2 for all t,
πτ τ

where X is the position operator and q, E and τ are constants. Show that in first–order perturbation
theory, the only allowed transition from the ground state is to the first excited state. If the perturbation
acts from very early times to very late times, find the probability that this transition takes place, correct
to order E 2 .
By expanding UI (t) to second non–trivial order, calculate the corresponding probability for a transition
from the ground state to the second excited state.

4. A particle travelling in one dimension with momentum p = ~k > 0 encounters the steep–sided potential
well V (x) = −V0 < 0 for |x| < a. Use Fermi’s golden rule to show that the probability the particle will
be reflected by the well is
V2
Preflect ≈ 0 2 sin2 (2ka) ,
4E
where E = p2 /2m. Show that in the limit E  V0 this result is consistent with the exact result for the
reflection probability. [Hint: adopt periodic boundary conditions to normalise the wavefunctions of the
initial and final states.]
Prof. E. Pajer PQM 4 Michaelmas 2024

5. Consider the driven quantum harmonic oscillator with Hamiltonian

 
† 1  
H = ~ω A A + + ~ f ∗ (t)A + f (t)A† .
2
Taking H0 to be the standard oscillator Hamiltonian, show that the perturbation in the interaction
picture is  
VI (t) = ~ f˜∗ (t)A + f˜(t)A† where f˜(t) = eiωt f (t) .
† ∗ 2 † ∗
Show that U (g) := egA −g A = e−|g| /2 egA e−g A where g = g(t). By taking the time–derivative of this
expression, deduce that the time evolution operator in the interaction picture can be written as
Z t
−i 0t Im(ġ ∗ g) dt0
R
UI (t) = U (g) e for the choice g(t) = −i f˜(t0 ) dt0 .
0

At t = 0 the oscillator is initially in its ground state |0i. In the case that f (t) = e−iωt f0 where f0 is
constant, show that at time t the oscillator is in the coherent state
2 t2 /2 †
|ψS (t)i = e−|f0 | e−iωt/2 e−itf (t)A |0i

in the Schrödinger picture. Comment on the relevance of this model to the operation of a laser.
P
6. Let ρ = i,j ρij |iihj| be the density operator of some quantum system. Show that the system is in a
pure state if and only if every row of the matrix ρij is a multiple of the first row, and every column is a
multiple of the first column.

7. Show also that the entropy S(ρ) = −trH (ρ ln ρ) obeys S(U ρ U † ) = S(ρ) for any unitary operator U , and
hence that the entropy is both time independent and independent of the choice of basis on H.
A composite system is formed from two uncorrelated subsystems A and B. Both subsystems are in
impure states, with the numbers {pAi } and {pBr } being the probabilities of the members of the complete
sets of states {|A; ii} and {|B; ri}, respectively. Show that the entropy of the composite system is the
sum of the entropies of the two subsystems. What is the relevance of this result for thermodynamics?

8. Let H1 , H2 and H3 each describe two–state systems, and let {| ↑ i, | ↓ i} form a basis of each Hi where
σz | ↑ i = | ↑ i and σz | ↓ i = −| ↓ i with σz a Pauli matrix.

i) Compute
σx | ↑ i , σx | ↓ i , σy | ↑ i and σy | ↓ i ,
where σx and σy are the other two Pauli matrices.
ii) Consider the state
1

|GHZi = √ | ↑ i| ↑ i| ↑ i − | ↓ i| ↓ i| ↓ i ∈ H1 ⊗ H2 ⊗ H3 ,
2
known as the Greenberger, Horne & Zeilinger state. Show that this state obeys

σy ⊗ σy ⊗ σx |GHZi = σy ⊗ σx ⊗ σy |GHZi = σx ⊗ σy ⊗ σy |GHZi = +|GHZi (?)

whilst
σx ⊗ σx ⊗ σx |GHZi = −|GHZi . (†)
Prof. E. Pajer PQM 4 Michaelmas 2024

iii) Suppose we try to reproduce these results in a hidden variables theory, by assigning functions

si : R3 × Rn → {+1, −1}

to each of the three subsystems, where the value the classical spin takes is entirely determined by
the axis a ∈ R3 along which the spin is measured and the value v ∈ Rn of the hidden variables.
What constraints must these classical spins obey if they are to be compatible with (?) and (†)? Is
this possible?