Chemistry 532

Problem Set 5
Spring 2012
Solutions
1. Let D = d/dx. Show that

(D + x)2 = D2 + 2xD + x2 + 1.

Answer:
(D + x)2 = D2 + Dx + xD + x2
= D2 + 1 + xD + xD + x2
= D2 + 2xD + x2 + 1

2. Show that
(A + B)2 = (B + A)2
for any two operators. Under what conditions is

(A + B)2 = A2 + 2AB + B 2 ?

Answer:
(A + B)2 = A2 + B 2 + AB + B A
(B + A)2 = A2 + B 2 + AB + B A
Then
(A + B)2 = (B + A)2
(A + B)2 = A2 + 2AB + B 2
when [A, B] = 0.

3. Determine which of the following operators is linear (with answers):

(a)3x2 d2 /dx2 linear
2
(b) R( ) not linear
(c) dx linear
(d) exp( ) not linear

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4. Prove that the product of two linear operators is a linear operator.
Answer: Let A and B be two linear operators, f (x) and g(x) be two functions and c
a constant. Then
A(f + cg) = Af + cAg
and
B(f + cg) = Bf + cBg
Then
AB(f + cg) = A(Bf + cBg)
= ABf + cABg
which proves the theorem.

5. Evaluate the following commutators:

(a) [d/dx, x]
Answer: " #
d d d
,x = xx
dx dx dx
d d
=1+x x =1
dx dx
(b) [d2 /dx2 , x]
Answer:
d2 d2
" #
d d
, x = x x
dx2 dx dx dx2
d d d d2
+ x x 2
=
dx dx dx dx
2 2
d d d d
=2 +x 2 x 2 =2
dx dx dx dx
(c) [d/dx, x2 ]
Answer: " #
d 2 d 2 d
,x = x x2
dx dx dx
d d
= 2x + x2 x2 = 2x
dx dx
(d) [d2 /dx2 , x2 ]
Answer:
d2 2 2
" #
d d 2 2 d
, x = x x
dx2 dx dx dx2
d d d d2
= 2x + x2 x2 2
dx dx dx dx
2
 d d d2 d2
= 2 + 2x + 2x + x2 2 x2 2
dx dx dx dx
d
= 2 + 4x
dx
(e) [d/dx, x2 d/dx]
Answer:
d2
" #
d 2 d d 2 d
,x = x x2 2
dx dx dx dx dx
d d2 d2 d
= 2x + x2 2 x2 2 = 2x
dx dx dx dx
6. The translation operator is defined by

Th f (x) = f (x + h)

Evaluate
(T12 3T1 + 2)x2 .

Answer:
(T12 3T1 + 2)x2 = (x + 2)2 3(x + 1)2 + 2x2
= 2x + 1

7. Define eA by
1 2 1 3
eA = 1 + A + A + A + . . .
2! 3!

X Ak
=
k=0 k!

Let D = d/dx. Show that

eD = T1 ,
where Th is defined in problem 6.
Answer:
1 d2 1 d3
" #
D d
e f (x) = 1 + + + + . . . f (x)
dx 2! dx2 3! dx3
1 00
= f (x) + f 0 (x) + f (x) + . . .
2!
By Taylors theorem

f (n) (x)
yn
X
f (y + x) =
n=0 n!

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 Then

X f (n) (x)
f (1 + x) =
n=0 n!
1 00
= 1 + f 0 (x) + f (x) + . . .
2!
8. Show that
eA eB = eA+B
only if [A, B] = 0.
Answer:
1
eA+B = 1 + (A + B) + (A + B)2 + . . .
2!
1 1 1
= 1 + A + A2 + B + B 2 + (AB + B A) + . . .
2 2 2
1 1
eA eB = (1 + A + A2 + . . .)(1 + B + B 2 + . . .)
2! 2!
1 2 1 2
= 1 + A + A + B + B + AB + . . .
2 2
The two expressions can be equal only if
1
(AB + B A) = AB
2
i.e. only if A and B commute.

9. Show that sin nx and cos nx are both eigenfunctions of the operator d2 /dx2 . What
are the eigenvalues? Show that exp(ikx) is a simultaneous eigenfunction of the two
operators d/dx and d2 /dx2 . Show that sin nx and cos nx are not eigenfunction of d/dx
although they are eigenfunction of d2 /dx2 .
Answer:
d2
sin nx = n2 sin nx
dx2
d2
cos nx = n2 cos nx
dx2
Eigenvalues=n2 in both cases. Now
d ikx
e = ikeikx
dx
d2 ikx
2
e = k 2 eikx
dx
But
d
sin nx = n cos nx
dx
4
 and
d
cos nx = n sin nx
dx
10. Prove that the momentum space representation of the position operator is given by
h d
x = .
i dp

Answer: Z
hxi = (x)x(x) dx

1 Z Z
0 0 ip0 x/h
Z
= dx dp (p )e x dp(p)eipx/h
2h

1 Z Z
0
Z
h ipx/h
= dx dp0 (p0 )eip x/h dp(p) e
2h i p
Let Z
ipx/h
I= dp (p) e
p
Integrate by parts
ipx/h
u = (p) dv = e dp
p

v = eipx/h du = (p) dp
p
Then Z

I = (p)eipx/h |
eipx/h (p) dp
p
For square integrable functions, the first term on the left hand side of the equation for
I must vanish. We then can write
Z Z Z !
0 0 h dx i(pp0 )x/h
hxi = dp (p ) dp (p) e
i p 2h

Z Z !
h
= dp dp0 (p0 ) (p)(p p0 )
i p
Z !
h

= dp (p) (p)
i p
and in momentum space
h
x =
i p

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11. Consider a particle of mass m in a stationary state

(x) = N exp(ax2 )

defined for < x < . Calculate hx2 i, hxi2 , hp2 i and hpi2 . Calculate xp where

x = [hx2 i hxi2 ]1/2

and
p = [hp2 i hpi2 ]1/2 .

Answer: Z 1/2


2 2ax2 2
N e dx = N =1
2a
1/4
2a

N=

1/2 Z
2a

2 2
hxi = eax xeax dx = 0

2a 1/2 Z
 
2
hx2 i = x2 e2ax dx

1/2
2a 1

= =
2(2a)3/2 4a
1/2
2a h Z ax2 d ax2

hpi = e e dx
i dx
1/2
2a h Z 2ax2

= 2a xe dx = 0
i
1/2
2a Z
d2 ax2

2
hp2 i = h2 eax e dx
dx2
2
(x) = N (2axeax )
0

2 2
00 (x) = N (2aeax + 4a2 x2 eax )
Then 1/2 Z
2a

2
hp2 i = h2 e2ax (4a2 x2 2a) dx

1/2 Z 1/2 Z
2a 2a
 
2ax2 2
= 2a 2
h e dx 4a 2
h2 x2 e2ax dx

1/2 1/2 1/2
2a 2a
  
2 2 2
= 2a h 4a h
2a 2(2a)3/2

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 = ah2
1
x = [hx2 i hxi2 ]1/2 =
2 a

p = [hp2 i hpi2 ]1/2 = h a
and
h
xp =
2