NE 232, Quantum Mechanics: Assignment 1

Due Date: May 11, 2011

1) Calculate the deBroglie wavelength for a neutron at 2000m/s. What is the
energy of an X-ray with the same wavelength?
2) Let be a complex number represented as: = ||ei , where is the phase
angle and || is the magnitude. Show the following:
i) ||2 =
ii) + = 2<{}
 

3) Let , , , C. For in =
and ||2 + ||2 = 1, calculate

 

out =
= Ublade in

(1)

and show that ||2 + ||2 = 1.

4) Show that order matters for multiplying matrices A =


1 0
. In other words, show AB 6= BA.
0 1


0
1


1
and B =
0

5) Recall that a plane wave has the form, ei(kxt) . Plot or sketch the real
component of the following:
i) Plot the wave as a function of x with t=0 for at least 2 different values
of k.
ii) Plot the wave as a function of t with x=0 for at least 2 different values
of .
iii) Pick one of the plots from (i) and plot it for at least 2 additional times.
Explain your observations. What is the role of and k?


1
0
6) Show that Uphase =
is the correct description of the phase shifter
0 ei
in the Mach-Zehnder neutron interferometer experiment. Relate to l and
. Where is the phase shift, l is the length of the phase shifter, is
the frequency change of the neutron during its time in the phase shifter.
1

7) Consider the Mach-Zehnder neutron interferometer experiment. Now place

a phase shifter into each path right after the first beam splitter (see Figure
1a).

Figure 1: Mach-Zehnder Neutron Interferometer Cases

i) What is Uphase,2 ?
ii) Show that Uphase,1 Uphase,2 = Uphase,2 Uphase,1 .
iii) Calculate the intensities at the 2 detectors as a function of the 2 phases.
iv) Show that the intensity only depends on the difference in the phases.
Lets remove the the bottom phase shifter so that there is only 1 phase shifter
at the top path. Set the phase of the phase shifter, now called , such that
all the neutrons hit detector 1. Then, place a beam block before the second
beam splitter for the bottom path (see Figure 1b).
v) What do you see at the detector? Why? Calculate this.
8) This question will be given in the tutorial.