Ph441 Homework 1

1. Problem 1.1 of Liboff.

Clarifications: c) should read ‘particle constrained to the surface of a cylinder’. e)
Assume the rod is infinitesmally thin. i)&j) Assume the nucleus is a point particle
k) Assume the motion is restricted to a plane.

2. a) Given the Lagrangian

m 2 eB
L(x, y, z, ẋ, ẏ, ż) = (ẋ + ẏ 2 + ż 2 ) + (xẏ − y ẋ) ,
2 2
how is the canoncial momentum p⃗ = (px , py , pz ) related to the linear momentum
m⃗v ? b) Show that the Hamiltonian resulting the Lagrangian is
1  eB 2  eB 2
 
H(x, y, z, px , py , pz ) = px + y + py − x + p2z
2m 2 2
c) Find the Hamiltonian equations of motion. d) Show that the Hamilton equations
of motion describe a charged particle (charge = e, mass m) moving in a constant
magnetic field B.

3. Sketch the one-dimensional potential energy function

V (x) = κ(x2 − ℓ2 )2 , κ>0,

and precisely specify the turning points and ‘classically forbidden’ regions when
the total energy is a) 4κℓ4 and b) 14 κℓ4 .

4. From the definition of the Poisson bracket show that

{F, αG + βK} = α{F, G} + β{F, K}

and
{F G, K} = F {G, K} + {F, K}G ,
where F , G and K are three functions on phase space and α and β are constants.

5. Given that ⃗ℓ = (ℓx , ℓy , ℓz ) is the orbital angular momentum, show that

{ℓz , x} = y {ℓz , y} = −x {ℓz , z} = 0

{ℓz , px } = py {ℓz , py } = −px {ℓz , pz } = 0

Use these results to obtain
{ℓz , ℓx } = ℓy