Quantum Mechanics - Homework Assigment 2

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

September 23, 2012
Shankar, Ex 1.8.10 By considering the commutator, show that the following Hermitian
matrices may be simultaneously diagonalized. Find the eigenvectors common to both
and verify that under a unitary transformation to this basis, both matrices are diag-
onalized.
=
_
_
1 0 1
0 0 0
1 0 1
_
_
, =
_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_
Since is degenerate and is not, you must be prudent in deciding which matrix
dictates the choice of basis.
Considering the commutator [, ]:
[, ] =
=
_
_
1 0 1
0 0 0
1 0 1
_
_
_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_

_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_
_
_
1 0 1
0 0 0
1 0 1
_
_
=
_
_
3 0 3
0 0 0
3 0 3
_
_

_
_
3 0 3
0 0 0
3 0 3
_
_
=
_
_
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
_
_
It means that and are two commuting Hermitian operators. Then, from Theorem
13, there exist (at least) a basis of common eigenvectors that diagonalizes them both.
Now, our task is to nd the eigenvectors of that diagonalizes both operators. For
this:
0 = det[ I] = det
_
_
(2 ) 1 1
1 1
1 1 (2 )
_
_
= (2 )
2
1 1 (2 ) + (2 )
= + 4
2

3
6
= ( + 1)( 2)( 3)

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
The eigenvalues are = 1, 2, 3. To nd the corresponding eigenvectors, we have to
compute: |v = |v, then for = 1:
_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
= 1
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
(1)2x + y + z = x; (2)x z = y; (3)x y + 2z = z
from (1) + (3): 4x + 4z = 0 x = z and then: 2z = y
for = 2:
_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
= 2
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
(1)y + z = 0; (2)x z = 2y; (3)x y = 0
y = z x = y x = z
for = 3:
_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
= 3
_
_
x
y
z
_
_
(1) x + y + z = 0; (2)x 3y z = 0; (3)x y z = 0
y = 0 x = y
Thus, the normalized eigenvectors are:
|v
1
=
1

6
_
_
1
2
1
_
_
; |v
2
=
1

3
_
_
1
1
1
_
_
; |v
3
=
1

2
_
_
1
0
1
_
_
From the eigenvectors, we can build a unitary matrix that diagonalizes the operators:
U =
_
_
_
1

6
1

3
1

6
1

3
0

6

1

3
1

2
_
_
_
Finally, we can verify that the matrices are diagonalized when we introduce this
unitary matrix:
U

U =
_
_
_
1

6

2

6

1

6
1

3
1

3

1

3
1

2
0
1

2
_
_
_
_
_
1 0 1
0 0 0
1 0 1
_
_
_
_
_
1

6
1

3
1

6
1

3
0

6

1

3
1

2
_
_
_ =
_
_
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 2
_
_
U

U =
_
_
_
1

6

2

6

1

6
1

3
1

3

1

3
1

2
0
1

2
_
_
_
_
_
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 2
_
_
_
_
_
1

6
1

3
1

6
1

3
0

6

1

3
1

2
_
_
_ =
_
_
1 0 0
0 2 0
0 0 3
_
_
Thus we demostrate that the chose unitary matrix diagonalizes our initial operators.
2
2) A two-dimensional space is spanned by the orthonormal basis vectors |1 and |2. If
operator B has ket-bra representation B = |12| |21|, nd the corresponding
explicit ket-bra representation of cosh(

3
B). (Hint: You may nd it easier to work in
matrix notation, and then covert back to ket-bra notation at the end.)
The Taylor serie of cosh(

3
B) is:
cosh
_

3
B
_
= 1 +
1
2
_

3
B
_
2
+
1
24
_

3
B
_
4
+ ... = 1 +

2
18
B
2
+

4
1944
B
4
+ ...
We can represent the orthonormal basis vectors explicitly as:
|1 =
_
1
0
_
|2 =
_
0
1
_
Therefore, the operator B has this matrix notation:
B = |12| |21|
=
_
1
0
_
_
0 1
_

_
1
0
_
_
0 1
_
=
_
0 1
0 0
_

_
0 0
1 0
_
=
_
0 1
1 0
_
Then, to replace the matrices B
2
and B
4
in the cosh serie, we calculate:
B
2
=
_
0 1
1 0
__
0 1
1 0
_
=
_
1 0
0 1
_
B
4
=
_
1 0
0 1
__
1 0
0 1
_
=
_
1 0
0 1
_
Finally,
cosh
_

3
B
_
= 1 +

2
18
_
1 0
0 1
_
+

4
1944
_
1 0
0 1
_
+ ...
= 1

2
18
(|11| +|22|) +

4
1944
(|11| +|22|) + ...
=
_
1
_
1
2!
_

2
3
2
+
_
1
4!
_

4
3
4
+ ...
_
(|11| +|22|)
= cos
_

3
_
I
=
1
2
I
3
3) For operator depending on scalar , show that
d(
1
)
d
=
1
_
d
d
_

1
Using the unitary operator,
1
=
1
= I, we found:
d(
1
)
d
=
d(I)
d
d()
d

1
+
d(
1
)
d
= 0
d()
d

1
=
d(
1
)
d

1
d()
d

1
=
1

d(
1
)
d

1
d()
d

1
=
d(
1
)
d
4) Referring to operators X and K in Shankar (1.10.41), show that [X
2
, K
2
] = 2I +4iXK
in two ways:
a) By applying X
2
K
2
K
2
X
2
to an arbitraty f(x) and seeing what happens.
The two operators are:
X|f xf(x), K|f i
df(x)
dx
thus:
X
2
|f x
2
f(x), K
2
|f
d
2
f(x)
dx
2
applying to an arbitrary function f(x):
[X
2
, K
2
]|f = X
2
K
2
|f K
2
X
2
|f
= x
2
d
2
f
dx
2
+
d
2
dx
2
(x
2
f)
= x
2
d
2
f
dx
2
+
d
dx
_
2xf + x
2
df
dx
_
= x
2
d
2
f
dx
2
+ 2f + 2x
df
dx
+ 2x
df
dx
+ x
2
d
2
f
dx
2
= 2f + 4x
df
dx
= 2I + 4iXK
4
b) By working solely with the operators and repeatedly applying commutator rules
(1.5.10) and (1.5.11) with (1.10.41).
Using commutator rules:
[X
2
, K
2
] = K[X
2
, K] + [X
2
, K]K
= K(X[X, K] + [X, K]X) + (X[X, K] + [X, K]X)K
= KX[X, K] + K[X, K]X + X[X, K]K + [X, K]XK
= KXiI + KiIX + XiIK + iIXK
= 2iIKX + 2iIXK
= 2iXK 2i[X, K] + 2iIXK
= 4iXK + 2I
Shankar, Ex 1.10.1 Show that (ax) = (x)/|a|. (Consider
_
(ax)d(ax). Remember
that (x) = (x).)
Using the hint:
_

(ax)dx =
_

(|a|x)dx
=
_

(|a|x)
1
|a|
d(|a|x)
=
1
|a|
_

(|a|x)d(|a|x) using (x) = (x)

=
1
|a|
_

(x)d(x)
Finally, we show that (ax) = (x)/|a|.
Shankar, Ex 1.10.2 Show that
(f(x)) =

i
(x
i
x)
|df/dx
i
|
where x
i
are zeros of f(x). Hint: where does (f(x)) blows up?. Expand f(x) near
such points in a Taylor series, keeping the rst nonzero term.
Expanding f(x) in Taylor series around x
i
:
f(x) = f(x
i
) + f

(x
i
)(x x
i
) +
1
2
f

(x
i
)(x x
i
)
2
+ ...
if f(x
i
) = 0, keeping the rst nonzero term: f(x) = f

(x
i
)(x x
i
). Now, using the
results of Ex 1.10.1:
(f(x)) = (f

(x
i
)(x x
i
)) (f(x)) =
1
|f

(x
i
)|
(x x
i
)
To generalized our result, we can summ over all the nonzero terms:
(f(x)) =

i
(x x
i
)
|df(x
i
)/dx
i
|
5
Shankar, Ex 1.10.3 Consider the theta function (x x

) which vanishes if x x

is
negative and equals 1 if x x

is positive. Show that (x x

) = d/dx(x x

).
Using a test well-behaved function g(x):
_

g(x)
d
dx
(x x

)dx =
_

g(x)d(x x

)
= (x x

)g(x)|

(x x

)g

(x)dx
= g()
_

0
g

(x)dx
= g() g() + g(0) = g(0)
=
_

g(x)(x)dx
Finally, we found that:
d
dx
(x x

) = (x)
6