Quantum Physics (I), Fall Semester 2014

TA: Yu-Ping Lin

Solution for Midterm

Fundamental constants and useful formulas

Speed of light: c = 3.00 108 m/s.

Planck constant: h = 4.14 1015 eVs; ~ = 6.58 1016 eVs; hc =1240 eVnm.
Boltzmann constant: k = 8.62 105 eV/K.
Stephan-Boltzmann law: RT = T 4 , where RT is the radiated power per unit area.
Creation and annihilation operators for a 1d simple harmonic oscillator
1
(ip + mx),
2~m

a+ n = n + 1n+1 , a n = nn1 ,

a =

[a , a+ ] = 1
(a+ )n
n = 0
n

1. (5 pts) A transition from an excited state to the ground state of an atom is found to take about, on
average 1.1 109 s. What is the minimum linewidth in eV you could measure from this transition?
By uncertainty principle,
E

~
6.58 1016 eV s
=
2.99 107 eV.
2t
2 (1.1 109 s)

2. (20 pts) Explain what was learned about quantization of radiation or mechanical system from two of the
following experiments:
(a) Blackbody radiation spectrum.
(b) Photoelectric effect.
(c) Franck-Hertz experiment.
(d) Davison-Germer experiment.
(e) Compton scattering.
Describe the experiments selected in detail, indicate which of the measured effects were non-classical and
why, and explain how they can be understood as quantum phenomena. Give at most one equation in your
explanation for each phenomena.
Please read the textbook.
3. Consider an experiment in which a beam of electrons is directed at a plain containing two slits, labeled
A and B. Beyond the slits is a screen with an array of detectors to determine where the electrons hit the
screen. Sketch a rough graph of relative number of incident electrons as a function along the screen and
give a brief explanation.
(a) (5 pts) Both slits open.
(b) (5 pts) A detector is placed near the slits that can indicate which slit the electron passes through.
(c) (5 pts) A beam splitter attached to the slit such that only electrons with up spin sz = ~/2 can pass
through A and those with down spin sz = ~/2 can pass through B.
(d) (5 pts) Only electrons with up spin sz = ~/2 can pass through A and B.
Due to the particle-wave duality, the experiment gives the distributions of incidents similar to that of the
experiments in which the gun is replaced by a source of wave.
(a) Since both slits are open, we have an interfering distribution similar to that of a double-slit experiment
of wave.
(b) Since we can always know which slit the electrons pass through every time, theres no interference.
The distribution of incidents is just half of the sum of the distributions we get from the single-slit
cases in which either slit A or B is open.

(c) The measurement of spin makes the state of electron collapses to either sz = ~/2 or sz = ~/2 and
determines the slit which the electron passes through as a result. Thus, theres no interference, and
the distribution is the same as (b).
(d) Though the measurement makes the electron collapses to either sz = ~/2 or sz = ~/2, it doesnt
specify which slit the electron should pass through. Thus, the interference occurs, and the distribution
is the same as (a), (only differ from a ratio 1/2, since only electrons measured to have sz = ~/2 can
pass through the slits.)

4. A particle of mass m moving in one dimension is confined in a < x < a by an infinite square well
potential. In addition, the particle experiences a delta function potential barrier of strength > 0 locate
at the center of the well. The Schr
odinger equation which describes the system is, with in the well,

~2 d2 (x)
+ (x)(x) = E(x),
2m dx2

a < x < a

(a) (10 pts) Sketch the ground state and find the ground state energy E0 of the system for = 0.
(b) (10 pts) Find a transcendental equation for the energy eigenvalues E in terms of the mass m, the
potential strength , and the width a of the system.
0 lower or higher than E0 ?
(c) (10 pts) Sketch the ground state. Is the new ground state energy E
(d) (5 pts) What is the ground state energy if ? What is the degeneracy?

(a) For = 0, the equation can be arranged as

where E minx V (x) = 0. Let k =

2mE
d2 (x)
= 2 (x),
dx2
~
2mE/~. The solutions can be wriiten as

(x) = A sin k(x + a) + B cos k(x + a)

for some constants A and B. Since the particle is confined in the region a < x < a, we have the
boundary conditions
(
(a) = B = 0
,
(a) = A sin 2ka + B cos 2ka = A sin 2ka = 0
which requires
k=

n
2a

an thus gives the quantization of energy

En1 =

~2 k 2
n 2 2 ~2
=
.
2m
8ma2

Also, the wave functions should satisfy the normalization condition

Z a
Z a
Z a
1 cos n
2 n
2
2
2
a (x + a)
1=
dx|n1 (x)| = |A|
dx sin
(x + a) = |A|
dx
= a|A|2 .
2a
2
a
a
a
2


As a result, A = 1/ a, and the wave functions of stationary states are
1
n
n1 (x) = sin
(x + a),
2a
a
with the ground state and the ground state energy
1

0 (x) = sin (x + a),

2a
a

E0 =

2 ~2
.
8ma2

(b) For the regions a < x < 0 and 0 < x < a, the Schrodinger equation is

~2 d2 (x)
= E(x),
2m dx2

and the solutions can be written in the same form as in (a)

(
A sin k(x + a), a < x < 0
(x) =
,
B sin k(x a),
0<x<a
where the boundary conditions (x) = 0 at x = a and a have been considered. We have the other
boundary conditions at x = 0

0 = (0) + (0) = (A + B) sin ka





.
2m
2m
d (x)
d+ (x)

A
sin
ka
=

(0)
=

= (A B)k cos ka

2
2
~
~
dx
dx
x=0
x=0
i. Consider the case k = n/2a, n N. If n is even, we have sin ka = sin(nx/2a) = 0 and the
relation A = B makes the boundary conditions valid. The normalization condition gives
Z a
Z 0
Z a
1=
dx|(x)|2 = |A|2
dx sin2 k(x + a) + |B|2
dx sin2 k(x a) = a|A|2 ,
a

and A = B = 1/ a as a result. Therefore, we have the stationary states and energies

n
1

sin
(x + a), a < x < 0

2a
a
n 2 2 ~2
, En =
, n = 2, 4, 6, .
n (x) =
1
n

8ma2

sin
(x a),
0<x<a
2a
a
On the other hand, if n is odd, since sin ka = 1, A = B = 0 is required, which is not what we
want.
ii. For k 6= n/2a, n N, we have

B = A
,
2m A tan ka = (A B)k
2
~
which gives
tan ka =

~2 k
.
m

(c) To find the ground state, we need to compare the results of the two cases in (b). For case i., the
lowest state has k = /a. For case ii., n N, we can observe fron the graph that the lowest state
has /2a < k < /a and is the ground state of the system as a result. The ground state energy is
2 2
2 
2
2 ~2
0 = ~ k > ~
E
=
= E0 .
2m
2m 2a
8ma2

(d) In case ii., as , the straight line in the graph in (b) tends to the (ka)-axis, and the ground
state has k /a as a result. Thus,
2 2
0 = ~ .
E
2ma2

Since this energy also corresponds to the lowest state in case i., the degeneracy is 2, and the wave
functions of ground states are

sin (x + a), a < x < 0

a
a
0 (x) =
.
1

sin (x a),
0<x<a
a
a
5. The wave function at time t = 0 for a particle in a harmonic oscillator potential V = 12 m 2 x2 is given by


2
cos
(x, 0) = Ae(x) /2 sin H0 (x) + H2 (x) ,
2 2
p
where and A are real constants, and = m/~, and the Hermite polynomials are normalized so that

Z
n
2 x2
2
2 n!
dxe
|Hn (x)| =

The eigenstates of the simple harmonic oscillators are


n (x) =

1/4

(a) (5 pts) Find (x, t).

4

2
1
Hn (x)e(x) /2
n
2 n!

(b) (10 pts) What are the possible results of a measurement of the energy of the particle in this state,
and what are the probabilities of getting these values?
(c) (5 pts) Find hxi at time t > 0.

(a) The initial wave function should satisfy the normalization condition

2
Z
Z
cos
(x)2
2
2

dxe
sin H0 (x) +
dx|(x, 0)| = |A|
1=
H2 (x)
2 2



Z
Z
cos2
2
2 x2
2
2 x2
2
2
dxe
|H2 (x)|
dxe
|H0 (x)| +
= |A| sin
8

= |A|2
sin2 + cos2

2
= |A|
,

which gives
 2 1/4

.
A=

We can then express the initial wave function as a linear combination of the eigenfunctions n (x)


2
cos
(x, 0) = Ae(x) /2 sin H0 (x) + H2 (x) = sin 0 (x) + cos 2 (x).
2 2
With the energies of the stationary states given by


1
~,
En = n +
2
the time evolution (x, t) is
iE0 t

iE2 t

(x, t) = sin 0 (x)e ~ + cos 2 (x)e ~

 2 1/4


2
1
3

cos
=
e(x) /2 sin H0 (x)ei 2 t + H2 (x)ei 2 t .

2 2
(b) Since the wave function is
(x, t) = sin 0 (x)e

iE0 t
~

+ cos 2 (x)e

iE2 t
~

a measurement of the energy of the particle gives the results with the probabilities

E0 = ~, P (E0 ) = sin2
2

E2 = 3 ~, P (E2 ) = cos2
2
2

(c) Since H0 (x), H2 (x), and e(x) are even functions, the multiplications of them are also even
functions. Thus, we have
Z
dx (x, t)x(x, t)
hxi =

1/2 Z
2
2
=
dxe(x)


 

cos
cos
i 12 t
i 23 t
i 21 t
i 32 t

sin H0 (x)e
+
H2 (x)e
x sin H0 (x)e
+
H2 (x)e
2 2
2 2
 2 1/2 
Z
2

=
sin2
dxe(x) x|H0 (x)|2 +


Z
Z


2
2
sin cos it

e
+ eit
dxe(x) xH0 (x)H2 (x) + cos2
dxe(x) x|H2 (x)|2
2 2

= 0.