Physics 443, Solutions to PS 2

1. Griffiths 2.12.
The raising and lowering operators are
1
a± = √ (∓ip̂ + mωx̂)
2mωh̄
where p̂ and x̂ are momentum and position operators. Then
s
h̄
x̂ = (a+ + a− )
2mω
s
mωh̄
p̂ = i (a+ − a− )
2
The expectation value of the position operator is

hxi = hψn | x̂ | ψn i
* s +
h̄
= ψn | (a+ + a− ) | ψn
2mω
s
h̄
= (hψn | (a+ ) | ψn i + hψn | (a− ) | ψn i)
2mω
s
h̄ √ √ 
= nhψn | ψn+1 i + n − 1hψn | ψn−1 i
2mω
= 0

Similarly, the expectation value of the momentum operator is

hpi = hψn | p̂ | ψn i
* s +
mωh̄
= ψn | i (a+ − a− ) | ψn
2
= 0

Expectation values of x2 and p2 are not zero.

D E
hx2 i = ψn | x̂2 | ψn
* +
h̄
= ψn | (a2 + a2− + a+ a− + a− a+ ) | ψn
2mω +
h̄
= hψn | (a+ a− + a− a+ ) | ψn i
2mω

1
 h̄ 2
 
= ψn | H | ψn
2mω h̄ω
h̄ 2 1
 
= ψn | (n + )h̄ω | ψn
2mω h̄ω 2
h̄
= (2n + 1)
2mω

where we have used the relationship between Hamiltonian operator and

a± , namely
1
H = h̄ω(a+ a− + )
2
1
H = h̄ω(a− a+ − )
2

Then
D E
hp2 i = ψn | p̂2 | ψn
* +
mωh̄
= ψn | (−a2+ − a2− + a+ a− + a− a+ ) | ψn
2
mωh̄
= hψn | (a+ a− + a− a+ ) | ψn i
2 
mωh̄ 2

= ψn | H | ψn
2 h̄ω
mωh̄
= (2n + 1)hψn | ψn i
2
mωh̄
= (2n + 1)
2
We have that
s
q q h̄
σx = h(x − hxi)i = hx2 i = (2n + 1)
2mω
s
q q mωh̄
σp = h(p − hpi)i = hp2 i = (2n + 1)
2
and then
h̄
σx σp = (2n + 1)
2
2
 The kinetic energy
hp2 i h̄ω
hT i = = (2n + 1)
2m 4

2. Griffiths 2.14.
The wave function is initially in the ground state of the oscillator with
classical frequency ω. The wave function is
1
mω

4 mω 2
ψ0 (x) = e− 2h̄ x
πh̄
The spring constant changes instantaneously but the wav function does
not. So immediately after the change in spring constant the wave func-
tion remains the same. But it is no longer an eigenfunction of the
hamiltonian operator. However, any function can be expressed as a
linear combination of the new eigenfunctions, ψn0 and we can write
that n=∞
an ψn0 (x)
X
ψ0 (x) =
n=0

The probability that we will find the oscillator in the nth state, with
energy En0 is |an |2 . After the change, the minimum energy state is
E00 = 12 h̄ω 0 = h̄ω, (since ω 0 = 2ω) so the probablity that a measure-
ment of the energy would still return the value h̄ω/2 is zero. Since the
eigenfunctions are orthonormal ( ψn0 ψm 0
R
dx = δnm ) we can determine
the coefficients
Z ∞
an = ψn0 (x)ψ0 (x)dx
−∞
!1 1
Z ∞
mω 0 4 0 mω

4
− mω x2 mω 2
a0 = e 2h̄ e− 2h̄ x dx
−∞ πh̄ πh̄
!1  1
mω 0 4 mω 4 Z ∞ −( mω0 + mω )x2
= e 2h̄ 2h̄ dx
πh̄ πh̄ −∞
√ !1
2mω 2 Z ∞ −( 3mω )x2
= e 2h̄ dx
πh̄ −∞
√ !1 !1
2mω 2 2πh̄ 2
=
πh̄ 3mω

3
 √ !1
2 2 2
=
3
= 0.971
The probability of measuring energy E00 = h̄ω 0 /2 = h̄ω is the proba-
bility that the oscillator is in the state ψ00 . The probability that the
oscillator is in the ground state is
|a0 |2 = 0.943

3. Griffiths 2.26.
Using the definition of the Fourier transform, we have
1 Z∞
Answer = √ dx δ(x) exp(−ikx),
2π −∞
1
= √ e−ikx |x=0 ,
2π
1
= √ .
2π
We therefore have that
1 Z∞ 1
δ(x) = √ √ exp(ikx) dk,
2π −∞ 2π
1 Z∞
= dk eikx . (1)
2π −∞
4. Griffiths 2.38.

(a) We write the wave function ψ1 , which is the ground state wave
function for the well of width a as a linear combination of the
eigenfunction, (ψnp rime) of the well of width 2a.
∞
an ψn0
X
ψ1 =
n=1

Solve for the coefficients

Z 2a
an = (ψn0 )∗ ψ1 dx
0
s s
Z a
2 nπx 2 πx
= sin sin dx
0 2a 2a a a

4
 We only integrate from 0 to a because ψ1 (x) is zero for x < 0 and
x > a. Then
√ Z
2 π/2 2a
 
an = (sin ny)(sin 2y) dy
a 0 π
√ " #π/2
2 2 sin(2 − n)y sin(2 + n)y
= − 6 2)
(n =
π 2(2 − n) 2(2 + n) 0

R π/2 √
If n = 2, the 0 sin2 2ydy = π
4
and a2 = 2
2
, and the probability
2
 2
to measure E20 = 2m h̄ π
2a
, is |a2 |2 = 12 . Since the sum of prob-
abilities for any energy is 1, no other can be more probable than
E20 .
(b) For all other even n, an = 0. For n odd
√ " #
2 2 sin(nπ/2) sin(nπ/2)
an = +
2π (2 − n) (2 + n)
√
4 2 sin(nπ/2)
=
π (4 − n2 )

Then
32
|an |2 =
π 2 (4 − n2 )2
and |a1 |2 = 0.36 The next most probable result is E10 with proba-
bility 0.36.
(c)
Z a
hHi = ψ1∗ Hψ1 dx
0
h̄2 π 2
=
2ma2
7. Time dependence.
Show that if Q̂ is an operator that does not involve time explicitly, and
if ψ is any eigenfunction of Ĥ, that the expectation value of Q̂ in the
state of ψ is independent of time.

5
 [We start with the Griffith’s Equation 3.148

d i dQ
hQi = h[H, Q]i + h i,
dt h̄ dt
Where the last term is zero because Q has no explicit time dependence,
d i
hQi = hψ|HQ − QH|ψi,
dt h̄
= ψ hψ|(Q − Q)ψi using ψ is stationary,
= 0 (2)

8. Collapse of the wave function.

Consider a particle in the infinite square well potential from problem
4.
q  
2 nπx
(a) Show that the stationary states are ψn (x) = a
sin a
and the
n2 π 2 h̄2
energy spectrum is En = 2ma2 where the width of the box is a.
[The time independent Schrodinger’s equation for a particle in an
infinite square well is

h̄2 d2 ψ
− = Eψ
2m dx2
Substitution of the proposed solution ψn (x) gives
s s
h̄2 d2 2 nπx 2 nπx
   
− sin = E sin
2m dx2 a a a a
2 s s
h̄2 nπ 2 nπx 2 nπx
    
sin = E sin
2m a a a a a
2  2
h̄ nπ
→ En = ]
2m a

(b) Suppose we now make a measurement that locates a particle ini-

tially in state ψn (x) so that it is now in the position a/2 − /2 ≤
x ≤ a/2 + /2 and described by the state α. In the limit where
  a, the result of the measurement projects the system onto a
superposition of eigenstates of energy. The probability of finding

6
 2
the particle in any eigenstate is P (En ) = |hψ
√ n | αi| . A reason-
able estimate of the state | αi is ψα (x) = δ (x − a/2) where
δ () (x−a/2) = 1/ for a/2−/2 ≤ x ≤ a/2+/2 and δ  (x− a2 ) = 0
everywhere else. Calculate the probability P (En ).
[ Any solution to (the time dependent) Schrodinger’s equation can
be written as a linear combination of energy eigenstates. (The
energy eigenstates form a complete set.) So we can write
∞
X
ψα (x) = cn ψ n
n
Z ∞
∗
→ cn = ψα (x)ψn (x) dx
−∞
Z a/2+/2 !
1
= √ ψn (x)∗ dx
a/2−/2 
s a/2+/2
2 a nπx

= − cos
a nπ a a/2−/2
s
2 a nπ nπ nπ nπ
 
= − cos( + ) − cos( − )
a nπ 2 2a 2 2a
s
2 a nπ nπ
 
= 2 sin( ) sin( )
a nπ 2 2a
( q
2 2a
(−1)(n−1)/2 ( nπ ) sin( nπ ), if n is odd,
=  2a
0, if n is even.

The probability of finding the particle in the nth energy eigenstate

is (
2 ( nπ )  sin2 ( nπ
2 2 2a
), if n is odd,
P (En ) = |cn | = 2a (3)
0, if n is even.
As  shrinks, and the particle is more localized, the probability
that it will be found in a higher energy state increases. In the
limit   a, (
2
, if n is odd,
P (En ) → a (4)
0, if n is even.
the particle is equally likely to be found in all n odd states.]