Midterm SOLUTIONS

171.303 Fall 2010

(open book and notes)
1. (15 points) Note A is proportional to
x
, B is
x
+ I (the identity matrix), and C
is proportional to
z
. Thus, A and B commute.
(a) A and B.
(b) A: 3 and 3
B: 2 and 0
C: 2 and 2
2. (35 points) The trick is to write

S
x
=
1
2
(

S
+
+

S

).
(a) For small t, the time evolution operator is U(t) 1 i(t/2 h)(

S
+
+

S

).
The state at t = 0 is |(0) = |s, +s. At time t,
|(t) = |s, +s (it/2 h)

|s, +s
= |s, +s (it/2)

(s(s + 1) s(s 1)|s, +(s 1)

The probability of being in the state |s, +(s 1) is the squared probability
amplitude, or s(t)
2
/2.
(b) To get to the |s, s state, the lowering operator needs to be applied 2s times.
Thus, the probability amplitude is proportional to (t)
2s
, and the probability,
(t)
4s
1
3. (50 points) As a shortcut, one can see that the Hamiltonian is of the form (2A/ h)(cos

S
z
+
sin

S
x
), where is the angle of a 3-4-5 triangle. Thus, it is of the form

H =
(2A/ h)

S
n
.
(a) A
(b) Solve the eigenvalue equation:
A

4/5 3/5
3/5 4/5

a
b

= A

a
b

The eigenstates for eigenvalues A are

1

10

3
1

,
1

10

1
3

respectively.
(c) The evolution operator can be written as
U(t) = cos(At/ h) i [(4/5)
z
+ (3/5)
x
] sin(At/ h). Thus, the time evolution
of the state |+z is

cos(At/ h) i(4/5) sin(At/ h) i(3/5) sin(At/ h)

i(3/5) sin(At/ h) cos(At/ h) + i(4/5) sin(At/ h)

1
0

cos(At/ h) i(4/5) sin(At/ h)

i(3/5) sin(At/ h)

Thus, the probability of nding S

z
of h/2 is |i(3/5) sin(At/ h)|
2
= (9/25) sin
2
(At/ h).
(d) 2A, 0.
(e) The given rotation matrix will change an eigenstate of

S
z
to an eigenstate of
(cos

S
z
+ sin

S
x
). Thus, the columns of the rotation matrix are in fact the
eigenstates of the Hamiltonian for cos = 4/5 and sin = 3/5.
2