Problem Set 05

Note: The problem set is due October 17 in the class. In case you’re unable to attend the
class, please return directly to me in my office Rutherford 321. If I’m not there slip your
assignment below my door. Please do not email me your assignment as it is difficult for
the TA to print it.

1. Delta function state in free QFT. Recall that a delta function state δ (d) (x − x0 )
in the Hilbert space of a quantum mechanical system in d spatial dimensions signifies an
eigenstate of the position operator. Let us now go to free field QFT (say scalar field in
d+1 dimensions), and view the Hilbert space as an infinite collection of SHO Hilbert space.
What does a delta function state in the Hilbert space signify here? How do you construct
such a state and what is the number of particles in such a state? Provide qualitative
arguments.

2. A small dosage of regularization. As we briefly discussed in the class, the regu-

larization scheme is a way to isolate the infinities in a given sum. In other words, given a
series that typically would sum to infinity, may now be split-up, using the so-called regu-
larization scheme, to a piece that is finite and a piece that blows up. There are of course
multiple ways to do this but − and here is the surprise − any physical quantity that we
want to extract from the series should not depend on the regularization scheme. This may
look like black magic to you, so lets try one example where it may be realized.
In this example we take three infinite metallic planes and place them parallel to each other
such that the distances between the planes are measured in x coordinate and the planes
are stretched along the (y, z) directions. We will also assume that there is only a massless
scalar field ϕ(x, t) in the space-time (and ignore all other fields). However, before we go
about analyzing the effects of the scalar field, let us discuss some classical effects for the
system.

(a) Imagine all the planes have mass densities (i.e mass per unit area, as the thickness
of the planes are negligible) of ρ, which we take to be a constant. The distance between
the two outermost planes is L, and the middle plane is located at a distance d from the
left plane. If we fix the two outermost planes so that they couldn’t move, compute the
gravitational force between the middle plane due to the two outermost planes.

(b) Imagine now, in addition to the mass density ρ, let us assume that the two outermost
planes have charge densities +σ each, and the middle plane has a charge density of +σ on

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one side (say the left) and −σ on the other side. Compute the electric force on the middle
plane due to the two outermost planes. Will your answer change if the charge densities on
both sides of the middle plane are +σ or −σ? Compare your answer to the gravitational
force that you got earlier.

The above computations are related to the classical electric and the gravitational forces,
and thus have no quantum aspects associated to them. To investigate the quantum effects
due to the scalar field, let us first make all the planes un-charged (i.e make them electrically
neutral). Now answer the following questions.

(a) The arrangement of the planes divide the space into four disconnected regions: two
regions in between the outermost planes and two regions outside the two outermost planes.
Quantize the scalar field and compute the vacuum energies in the four regions. What
differences do you see? Show that the vacuum energy in between the two outermost planes
is equal to:
" #
Xn X m
Ed = A +
n
d m
L−d

Determine the proportionality constant A. Can we have n = m = 0 here? Will your

answer change if I replace the massless scalar field with a massive one with mass M ? Do
you expect to see any complication in the massless case? If not, then why not?

(b) The above series is clearly divergent, so is in dire needs for some control on the sum.
This is where the concept of regularization becomes useful. The point is to replace n and
m by:
n → ne−αn , m → me−βm

πa πa
with α ≡ d ,β ≡ L−d , and since we don’t want to change the change the definition of
energy here, we will have to put a → 0 in the end. Compute the vacuum energy Ed of
the system in terms of α and β, and show how the infinities in each of the two sums show
up here. We will call this vacuum energy as Ed (α, β) to reflect the dependence on (α, β).
Such separation of infinities might suggest that the above replacement is crucial. To show
that this is not the case, let us use another regularization scheme, where:

n → n−s , m → m−s

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and plug this in the definition of the vacuum energy Ed . Let us rename the vacuum
energy as Ed (s) such that when s = −1 we get back the required function. Using some
mathematical manipulations, show that the following equation:
" #
X (−x)n−1 X (−x)m−1
1−s


1−2 Ed (s) = lim− A +
x→1
n
dns m
(L − d)ms

makes sense by comparing both sides of the equation. In fact this is all that we need here to
compare the results from the two regularization schemes. Compute Ed (s = −1) ≡ Ed (−1)
and compare the forces that you get from the two energies, namely:

(1) ∂Ed (−1) (2) ∂Ed (α, β)

Fd =− , Fd =−
∂d ∂d

For simplicity you can take the limit L >> d. What can you say about the two forces
computed using different regularization schemes? Comment on your answer.

3. Coherent states in a simple harmonic oscillator. In the class we discussed how

coherent states appear as special states in a simple harmonic oscillator. These states
are denoted by the ket |αi, and are typically not orthogonal but complete. If U(θ) ≡
e−iθN denotes an operator with N being the number operator in SHO and θ being an
angular parameter, show that U(θ)|αi is an eigenstate of the annihilation operator with
an eigenvalue αe−iθ . Also argue that:

U† (θ)g(a)U(θ) = g(ae−iθ )

where g(a) is any analytic function of the annihilation operator a in SHO. The story would
proceed in somewhat similar way if a is replaced by a† . Yet another interesting operator
†
−α∗ a
is the so-called displacement operator D(α) ≡ eαa . Determine what happens when
a certain combination of the displacement operator acts on coherent state ket |αi as:

exp D† (α)f (a)D(α) |αi

 

where f (a) is another analytic function of the creation operator. Is this an eigenvalue
equation? If yes, can you determine the eigenvalue? Provide quantitative details.