Lecture 22:

Coherent States

Phy851 Fall 2009

 Summary memorize

• Properties of the QM SHO:

P2 1 h
H= + mω 2 X 2 λ=
2m 2 mω
1 X λ  † 1 X λ 
A=  + i P  A =  − i P
2λ h  2λ h 

X=
λ
(A + A† ) P = −i h A − A† ( )
2 2λ
€
 1
H = hω  A† A + 
 2
H n = hω (n + 1 / 2) n n

n =
( A† ) 0
A n = n n − 1 A† n = n + 1 n + 1 n!
x2
−1/ 2 −
ψ n (x) = [ π 2 n n! λ ] H n ( x / λ) e 2 λ2

2 x € n −1
ψ n (x) = ψ n−1 (x) − ψ n−2 (x)
n λ n
€ x2 x2
−1/ 2 − −1/ 2 x −
ψ 0 (x) = [ πλ ] e 2 λ2 ψ1 (x) = 2 π λ [ ] 2 e
λ
2 λ2

€
h
ΔX = λ n + 1 / 2 ΔP = n +1/ 2
λ
€ €
What are the `most classical’ states
of the SHO?
• In HW6.4, we saw that for a minimum
uncertainty wavepacket with:
λosc h
Δx = λosc =
2 Mωosc
The uncertainties in position and
momentum would remain constant.

• The interesting thing was that this was

true independent of x0 and p0, the initial
expectation values of X and P.

• We know that other than the case x0=0

and p0=0, the mean position and
momentum oscillate like a classical
particle

• This means that for just the right initial

width, the wave-packet moves around
like a classical particle, but DOESN’T
SPREAD at all.
 ‘Coherent States’
• Coherent states, or as they are sometimes
called ‘Glauber Coherent States’ are the
eigenstates of the annihilation operator

Aα =α α α α =1
– Here α can be any complex number
– i.e. there is a different coherent state for every
possible choice of α
– (Roy Glauber, Nobel Prize for Quantum Optics
Theory 2005)
• These states are not really any more
‘coherent’ then other pure states,
– they do maintain their coherence in the
presence of dissipation somewhat more
efficiently

• In QM the term ‘coherence’ is over-used and

often abused, so do not think that it always
has a precise meaning

• Glauber Coherent States are very important:

– They are the ‘most classical’ states of the
harmonic oscillator
– They describe the quantum state of a laser
• Replace the number of ‘quanta’ with the number
of ‘photons’ in the laser mode
– They describe superfluids and super-conductors
 Series Solution

• Let us expand the coherent state onto energy

eigenstates (i.e. number states)
∞
α = ∑ cn n
n =0

• Plug into eigenvalue equation:

Aα =α α
∞ ∞
A∑ cn n = α ∑ cn n
n =0 n =0
∞ ∞

∑c
n =0
n n n − 1 = α ∑ cn n
n =0

• Hit from left with 〈m|:

∞ ∞
m → ∑c n n n − 1 = α ∑ cn n
n =0 n =0
∞ ∞

∑c
n =0
n n m n − 1 = α ∑ cn m n
n =0

cm +1 m + 1 = α cm
 Continued
α α
cm +1 = cm cm = cm −1
m +1 m
• Start from: c 0 = ! (α )
– The constant N(α) will be used at the end for
normalization

€few iterations:
• Try a

α α
c1 = c0 = ! (α )
1 1
α α2
c2 = c1 = ! (α )
2 2 ⋅1
3
€ α α
c3 = c2 = ! (α )
3 3⋅ 2 ⋅1
€ α α4
c4 = c2 = ! (α )
4 4 ⋅ 3⋅ 2 ⋅1
• So clearly by induction we have:
€

€ αn
cn = ! (α )
n!
 Normalization Constant
αn
cn = ! (α )
n!
• So we have:
∞
αn
α = ! (α )∑ n
€ n= 0 n!

• For normalization we require:

€ 1= α α
∞ ∗m
2 α αn
= ! (α ) ∑ mn
n= 0 m!n!
m= 0
∞ 2n
2 α
= ! (α ) ∑
n= 0
n!
2
€ 2
= ! (α ) e
α

• Which gives us:

€ α
2
2 − ∞
αn
−
α
α =e 2
∑ n
! (€α ) = e 2
n =0 n!
 Orthogonality
• Let us compute the inner-product of two
coherent states:
2 2
α +β ∗m
− ∞
α βn
α β =e 2
∑ mn
n =0 m!n!
m =0
2 2 n
−
α +β ∞
(α β )∗

=e 2
∑ n!
n= 0
2 2
α +β
− +α ∗ β
=e 2

€
• Note that: − α−β
2
( )
− α ∗ − β ∗ (α − β )
e =e
€ ( − α +β
2 2
+a ∗ β + β ∗α )
=e
2
= αβ

• So coherent states are NOT orthogonal

– Does this contradict our earlier results
regarding the orthogonality of eigenstates?
€
Expectation Values of Position
Operator
• Lets look at the shape of the coherent
state wavepacket
– Let ψ α ( x) = x α
X = ∫ dxψ α∗ ( x) xψ α ( x)
– Better to avoid these integrals, instead
lets try using A and A† :
λ
X = α
2
( A + A† ) α

– Recall the definition of |α〉:

€ Aα =α α α A† = α ∗ α
λ
X =
2
( α A α + α A† α )
λ
=
2
(α α α + α ∗
αα )

€ λ
=
2
(α + α∗)

€
X = 2 λ Re{α }
€
 Expectation Value of Momentum Operator

• We can follow the same procedure for the

momentum:
h
P = −i α ( A − A† ) α
2λ
2h
=
2iλ
( α A α − α A †
α )
€ 2h
=
2iλ
(α − α ∗
)
€
2h
P = Im{α}
λ
€

€ X = 2 λ Re{α }
• Not surprisingly, this gives:

€ 1 1 λ 
α=  X + i P 
2 λ h 
 Variance in Position

• Now let us compute the spread in x:

λ2 † 2
X2 = α
2
( A+ A ) α

λ2 2
= α
2
( A + AA †
+ A †
A + A A )α
† †

• €Put all of the A ’s on the right and the A† ‘s on

the left:
– This is called ‘Normal Ordering’
€
λ2 2
= α
2
( A + 2A †
A + 1+ A A )α
† †

λ2 2
=
2
( ∗
α + 2α α + 1+ α ∗2
)
€ λ2
=
2
(( ∗ 2
α + α ) +1 )
λ€ λ2
X = (α + α ∗ ) X2 = X
2
+
2 2
€
2 2 λ Exactly the same variance as
ΔX = X − X = the ground state |n=0〉
2
 Momentum Variance

• Similarly, we have:
h2 † 2
P 2
= − 2 α (A − A ) α
2λ
h2
= − 2 α ( AA − AA† − A† A + A† A† ) α
2λ
€ – Normal ordering gives:
h2
P 2
= − 2 α ( AA − 2A† A −1+ A† A† ) α
€ 2λ
h2
= − 2 α ( AA − 2A† A −1+ A† A† ) α
2λ
€
h2
( 2
= − 2 α 2 − 2α ∗α + α ∗ −1
2λ
)
€
h2
( ∗ 2
= − 2 (α − α ) −1
2λ )
€ 2h
P =
2iλ
(α − α ∗
)
€
2 h2 2
ΔP = 2
P − P
2 h
P = P + 2 =
€ 2λ 2λ
 Minimum Uncertainty States

• Let us check what Heisenberg Uncertainty

Relation says about coherent states:
2 2 λ
ΔX = X − X =
2
2 h
ΔP = P2 − P =
2λ

λ h
ΔXΔP =
2 2λ

h
ΔXΔP =
2
• So we see that all coherent states (meaning
no matter what complex value α takes on)
are Minimum Uncertainty States
– This is one of the reasons we say they are
‘most classical’
 Time Evolution

• We can easily determine the time evolution of

the coherent states, since we have already
expanded onto the Energy Eigenstates:
– Let
ψ (t = 0) = α 0
– Thus we have:

2
α
− ∞
α 0n
ψ (0) = e 2
∑ n
n =0 n!
2
α
− ∞
α 0n −iω ( n +1/ 2 )t
ψ (t ) = e 2
∑ e n
n =0 n!
2
α
− i ωt / 2
− ∞
α 0n −iω n t
=e e2
∑ e n
n =0 n!
2
−iω t n
−
α ∞
(α e )
0

– Let
=e −iωt / 2
e 2
∑ n!
n
n= 0

α (t ) = α 0 e − iω t

€ By this we mean it remains in a

ψ (t ) = α (t ) coherent state, but the value of
the parameter α changes in
time
 Why ‘most classical’?

• What we have learned:

– Coherent states remain coherent states as time
evolves, but the parameter α changes in time
as
α (t ) = α 0 e − iω t

– This means they remain a minimum

uncertainty state at all time
– The momentum and position variances are the
same as the n=0 Energy eigenstate

– Recall that:
X = 2 λ Re{α }
2h
P = Im{α}
λ
€
– So we can see that:
x0 = α (t ) X α (t )
1 x λ 
α 0 = €  0 + i p0  p0 = α (t ) P α (t )
2λ h 
– We already know that <X> and <P> behave as
classical particle in the Harmonic Oscillator, for
any initial state.
p0
x(t ) = x0 cos(ωt ) + sin(ωt ) p (t ) = p0 cos(ωt ) − ωx0 sin(ωt )
ω
 Conclusions

• The Coherent State wavefunction looks

exactly like ground state, but shifted in
momentum and position. It then moves as a
classical particle, while keeping its shape
fixed.
– Note: the coherent state is also called a
‘Displaced Ground State’