Quantum Physics I

Equation Sheet

February 11, 2011

1 Representations
1.1 Heisenberg
iHt iHt
AH = e ~ AS e − ~
 
dAH ∂AS
i~ = [AH , H] + i~
dt ∂t

1.2 Interaction

H = H0 + Hint
iH0 t iH0 t
AI = e ~ AS e − ~

iH0 t
| ψiI = e ~ | ψiS
∂
i~ | ψiI = HI | ψiI
∂t
∂
i~ U (t, t0 ) = HI U (t, t0 )
∂t
 Z t
1
U (t, t0 ) = 1 + dt1 HI (t1 ) +
i~ t0
 2 Z t Z t1
1
+ dt1 dt2 HI (t1 ) HI (t2 ) + · · · =
i~ t0 t0
 Z t
1
= 1+ dt1 HI (t1 ) +
i~ t0
"   Z #
2 t Z t
1 1
+T dt1 dt2 HI (t1 ) HI (t2 ) + · · · =
2! i~ t0 t0
  Z t 
1 0 0
= T exp HI (t ) dt
i~ t0

2 Path Integrals
From a Lagrangian of the form
L = a (t) ẋ2 + b (t) ẋx + c (t) x2 + d (t) ẋ + e (t) x + f (t)

1
We get the following propagator:
Z b  Z tb 
i
K (b, a) = exp L (ẋ, x, t) dt Dx (t)
a ~ ta

We define x (t) = x̄ (t) + y (t) where x̄ (t) satisfies Scl [b, a] = S [x̄ (t)]
and after integration by parts we are left with
Z 0  Z tb     
i
Scl [b,a] i 1
K (b, a) = e ~ exp 2
a (t) ẏ + c (t) − ḃ (t) y 2 dt Dy (t)
0 ~ ta 2

We get the partition function by replacing T → −iβ~

Z ∞
Z= U (x, −iβ~; x, 0) dx
∞

We can represent the progapagor as

i
X
K (xb , ub ; xa , ua ) = φn (xb ) φ∗n (xa ) e− ~ En (tb −ta )
n

Under a potential we get:

= K0 (b, a) + K (1) (b, a) + K (2) (b, a) + K (3) (b, a) + . . .

KV (b, a)
i tb ∞
Z Z
(1)
K (b, a) = − K0 (b, c) V (c) K0 (c, a) dxc dtc
~ ta ∞

3 Harmonic Oscillator
r    
mω 1
a = x+i p
2~ mω
r    
mω 1
a† = x−i p
2~ mω
r
~
a† + a


x =
2mω
r
~mω †

p = i a −a
2
a† (t) = a† (0) eiωt
a (t) = a (0) e−iωt

4 Baker-Hausdorff
1
eA Be−A = B + [A, B] + [A, [A, B]] + . . .
2!
1
eA+B = eA eB e− 2 [A,B]

2
5 Time-Dependant Perturbation Theory
Fermi’s Golden rule:

= V eiωt + e−iωt


V (t)
2π
Γ (0 → n) = |hn | V | 0i|2 (δ (n − 0 − ~ω) + δ (n − 0 + ~ω))
~
Where the first exponent belongs to emission, and the second one to absorption.
For a continuum:

V (t) = V eiωt + e−iωt

Z
2π
Γ (0 → n) = |hn | V | 0i|2 dn (ρ (n ) δ (n − 0 − ~ω) + ρ (n ) δ (n − 0 + ~ω))
~

6 Fourier Transform

d3 p
Z
1
ap e−ip·x + a†p eip·x


φ (x) = 3
p
(2π) 2ωp
3
Z r
d p ωp
ap e−ip·x − a†p eip·x


π (x) = 3 (−i)
(2π) 2

7 Second Quantization
The wave function becomes an operator:
X eip·r
ψs (r) = √ aps
p V
X e−ip·r
ψs† (r) = √ a†ps
p V
X
ρ (r) = ψs† (r) ψs (r)
s

For an even interaction:

Z
1X
V= drdr0 V (r − r0 ) ψs† (r) ψs†0 (r0 ) ψs0 (r0 ) ψs (r)
2 0
s,s