Quantum Mechanics II - Homework Assignment 7

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

April 7, 2013
1) Write explicitly the wavefunction for a free Dirac electron moving along + z at a speed of c/

2 and
with spin along: (a) + z; (b) + y.
THe total wavefunction is given by:
(t) = e
iEt/h
=
_

_
(1)
where:
=
_
c
E + mc
2
_

Taken =
_
1
0
_
and since the particle is moving along + z only the p
z
holds. Then, for the spin
along + z the product is =
z
p
z
+
e
c

z
A
z
, therefore:
=
_
_
c

z
_
p
z
+
e

2
c
A
z
_
E +
mc
2
2
_
_

(t) =
_
_
_
_
_
_
1
0
c

2
z

pz+
e

2
c
Az

E+
mc
2
2
0
_
_
_
_
_
_
e
iEt/h
For the case when the spin is along + y, the product =
e

2
c
A
y
. Hence the wavefunction is given
by:
(t) =
_
_
_
_
_
1
0
eyAy
E+
mc
2
2
0
_
_
_
_
_
e
iEt/h

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
2) a) From = P+
e
c
A, derive the two expressions
[
i
,
j
] =
iqh
c
E
ijk
B
k
, =
iqh
c
B (2)
which are essentially the same but for notation.
Let us start with the commutator. If

i
= p
i
+
e
c
A
i
= ih
i
+
e
c
A
i
(3)
then,
[
i
,
j
] =
i

j

j

i
=
_
ih
i
+
e
c
A
i
__
ih
j
+
e
c
A
j
_

_
ih
j
+
e
c
A
j
__
ih
i
+
e
c
A
i
_
= h
2

j

ieh
c
A
i

j

ieh
c

i
A
j
+
e
2
c
2
A
i
A
j
+ h
2

i
+
ieh
c
A
j

i
+
ieh
c

j
A
i
+
e
2
c
2
A
j
A
i
=
ieh
c
(
i
A
j
+
j
A
i
)
=
ieh
c
E
kij
B
j
=
ieh
c
E
ijk
B
k
Next, for the cross product:
= E
ijk

k
= E
ijk
_
ih
j
+
e
c
A
j
__
ih
k
+
e
c
A
k
_
= E
ijk
_
h
2

k
+
ieh
c

j
A
k

ieh
c
A
j

k
+
e
2
c
2
A
j
A
k
_
if E
ijk

k
= 0; E
ijk
A
j
A
k
= 0; E
ijk
A
k

j
= 0
= E
ijk
_
ieh
c

j
A
k
_
=
ieh
c
E
ijk

j
A
k
=
ieh
c
B
b) Recall that, in the Heisenberg representation, the time derivative of any operator C is given by
dC
dt
=
i
h
[C, H] (4)
Use this equation to show that the velocity operator v = dr/dt in the Dirac theory is just v = c
v =
dr
dt
=
i
h
[r, H] =
i
h
(rH Hr)
=
i
h
_
r(c p + mc
2
) (c p + mc
2
) r
_
=
i
h
(c(r ( p)) c( p) r)
=
i
h
(c (r p p r)
=
i
h
c [r, p]
=
i
h
c ih = c
2
c) Use the Heisenberg dC/dt equation again to get an expression for d/dt (the time derivative of
mechanical momentum, which is basically a force), writing it in terms of r and v, and show
that it looks like the classical equations of motion.
Using equation (4) with and H = c
i

i
+ mc
2
:
d
dt
=
i
h
[
i
, H] =
i
h
[
i
, c
j

j
+ mc
2
=
i
h
[
i
, c
j

j
]
i
h
[
i
, mc
2
]
=
ic
h

j
[
i
,
j
]
=
ic
h

j
_
ieh
c
E
ijk
B
k
_
= eE
ijk

j
B
k
= e( B) =
e
c
(v B)
3) Shankar Ex. 20.1.1 Derive the continuity equation
P
t
j = 0 (5)
where P =

and j = c

.
Using Diracs equation:
P
t
=
(

)
t
=

t
+

t
=
_

1
ih
(c p

+ mc
2
)

_
+

_
1
ih
(c p + mc
2
)
_
=
1
ih
c
_
ih

x
_

mc
2
ih

+
1
ih
c

_
ih

t
_
+
mc
2
ih

= c

x
c

t
= c (

)
= (c

) = j
3
4) Show that a 22 representation of the Dirac matrices is possible in two space dimensions (3 space-time
dimensions), and give an explicit form for the matrices.
If we choose the matrices as:
=
_
1 0
0 1
_
,
x
=
_
0 1
1 0
_
,
y
=
_
0 i
i 0
_
we can check that the matrices satisfy the required conditions: traceless, the squared of each one is
the unitary matrix and the anticommutator is zero:
{,
x
} =
x
+
x
=
_
0 1
1 0
_
+
_
0 1
1 0
_
= 0
{,
y
} =
y
+
y
=
_
0 i
i 0
_
+
_
0 i
i 0
_
= 0
Hence, this matrices are a 2 2 representation of the DIrac matrices in two space dimensions.
5) The four Dirac matrices

( = 0, 1, 2, 3) are dened by
0
= ,
1
=
x
,
2
=
y
,
3
=
z
.
In this problem we set c = 1.
a) Show that

is Hermitian for = 0 and antihermitian for = 1, 2, 3.

Let us calculate the

matrices:

0
= =
_
I 0
0 I
_
(
0
)

=
_
I 0
0 I
_
then
0
= (
0
)

and therefore
0
is Hermitian.
For the
1
matrix:

1
=
x
=
_
I 0
0 I
__
0
x

x
0
_
=
_
0
x

x
0
_
(
1
)

= (
x
)

=
_
0
x

x
0
__
I 0
0 I
_
=
_
0
x

x
0
_
then
1
= (
1
)

and therefore
1
is Anti-Hermitian.
For the
2
matrix:

2
=
y
=
_
I 0
0 I
__
0
y

y
0
_
=
_
0
y

y
0
_
(
2
)

= (
y
)

=
_
0

y
0
_
_
I 0
0 I
_
=
_
0
y

y
0
_
then
2
= (
2
)

and therefore
2
is Anti-Hermitian.
For the
3
matrix:

3
=
z
=
_
I 0
0 I
__
0
z

z
0
_
=
_
0
z

z
0
_
(
3
)

= (
z
)

=
_
0

z
0
_
_
I 0
0 I
_
=
_
0
z

z
0
_
then
3
= (
3
)

and therefore
3
is Anti-Hermitian.
4
b) Show that the Dirac matrices obey the anticommutation relations {

} = 2g

I where I is
the 4 4 identity matrix and g

is the metric tensor (1 if = = 0, -1 if = > 0, and

0 if = ).
{

} =

where , = 0, 1, 2, 3
=
2
(

)
= I{

} = 2g

I
where {

} = 2g

using the anticommutator for the Pauli matrices {

} = 2

I.
c) Show that the Dirac equation may be written in the manisfestly covariant form
(

[i

+ eA

] m) = 0 (6)
Here

= (/t, /x, /y, /z), A

= (, A
x
, A
y
, A
z
), and a sum on is implied.
Using c = h = 1, then:
( + m) = 0
(

+ m) = 0
(

+
2
m) = 0
(

(i

+ eA

) + Im) = 0
(

(i

+ eA

) + m) = 0
5