Homework 1

Due in class on Sep. 21

Be sure to show your work and explain what you are doing. (Correct
answers, for which we cannot follow the work, are worth no credit).
1. To give you some impression on the orders of magnitude related to atoms, lets review Bohrs
atomic model to obtain
1). The possible radii for the electron orbits;
2). The total energy;
3). The wavelength between n = 1 and 2.
For the ground state, n =1
4). Find the radius (atomic unit of length) and energy (Rydberg constant);
5). can you get the same result with uncertainty principle and semiclassical arguments?
6). What is the electrons velocity v? and v/c?
7). What does the energy over mc2 reminds you?
8). What is the internal electric field?
9). What is the magnetic field generated by the moving electron at the nucleis position?
2.

This question is to help you to get more familiar with angular mometum. Let J be the angular

momentum operator. Using the fact that J x , J y and J z (J =J x J y ) satisfy the usual angular momentum commutation relations, answer the following questions:

2 2
(a) Prove that J = J z + J + J - - J z
2
(b) If a particle is in an spherically symmetric potential and it is known to be in an eigenstate of J

and J z with eigenvalues 2 J(J+1) and M respectively, show that the expectation value between
J,M satisfy

J x = J y = 0
2
2
2
2 M2
J x = J y = J(J+1)-
2
3.
Derive the Schrodinger equation of H atom in the center of mass reference frame and transform the
relative motion part to spherical cooridnates. Show the sepreation of the equation to radial and
angular part. NO need to get the solutions.

HW1.nb

4.
Two level system (TLS) in matrix form will be used extensively later on. Lets try to get more
familiar with it here. Note: this is the way to an exact solution.
H0 has two none-degenerate levels H0 1 = E1 1 and H0 2 = E2 2 . Now add in a small coupling H ' , the total Hamiltonian become H = H0 + H ' .
1). Derive the eigen equation of H in the representation of H0 (i.e. with 1 and 2 as the basis
states. )
2). Get the general solution for the eigenvalue of H.