Study Notes on Dirac Notation for State Vectors: Ket Space, Bra

Space, and Inner Products

Aravind N
October 8, 2023

1 Introduction
Dirac notation, also known as bra-ket notation, is a powerful mathematical framework used in quantum
mechanics to represent and manipulate quantum states, operators, and their interactions. It was developed
by Paul Dirac in the early 20th century and provides a concise and elegant way to work with complex
quantum systems. In Dirac notation, we use ”ket” vectors (|ψ⟩) to represent quantum states, ”bra” vectors
(⟨ϕ|) to represent their duals, and inner products (⟨ϕ|ψ⟩) to describe the overlap or similarity between states.

2 Ket Space (|ψ⟩)

Ket vectors, denoted as |ψ⟩, represent quantum states in a Hilbert space. Each ket vector corresponds to a
unique quantum state. A ket vector |ψ⟩ can represent a particle’s position, spin, momentum, or any other
quantum observable. Ket vectors are often normalized, meaning that the inner product of |ψ⟩ with itself is
equal to 1: ⟨ψ|ψ⟩ = 1.

2.1 Example 1
Consider the state of a spin-1/2 particle in the ”up” state. We can represent this state in ket notation as:

|ψ⟩ = | ↑⟩

3 Bra Space (⟨ϕ|)

Bra vectors, denoted as ⟨ϕ|, are the complex conjugate transposes of ket vectors. They represent the dual
space of ket vectors. Bra vectors correspond to linear functionals that can extract information from ket
vectors. The inner product of a bra vector ⟨ϕ| with a ket vector |ψ⟩ gives a complex number, denoted as
⟨ϕ|ψ⟩, representing the amplitude or probability amplitude of |ψ⟩ in the state represented by ⟨ϕ|.

3.1 Example 2
For the spin-1/2 particle in the ”up” state |ψ⟩ = | ↑⟩, the corresponding bra vector is:

⟨ϕ| = ⟨↑ |

4 Inner Products (⟨ϕ|ψ⟩)

Inner products, represented as ⟨ϕ|ψ⟩, quantify the similarity or overlap between two quantum states. The
inner product is a complex number that tells us how much of |ψ⟩ is contained in the state represented by
⟨ϕ|. If ⟨ϕ|ψ⟩ = 0, the states are orthogonal (no overlap), and if ⟨ϕ|ψ⟩ =
̸ 0, there is some degree of overlap.

1
4.1 Example 3
Consider two spin-1/2 particles, one in the ”up” state | ↑⟩ and the other in the ”down” state | ↓⟩. The inner
product of these states is:

⟨↑ | ↓⟩ = 0
(orthogonal)

5 Properties of Dirac Notation

1. **Linearity:** Dirac notation is linear. For any complex numbers a and b and ket vectors |ψ⟩ and |ϕ⟩,
we have:

⟨ϕ|(a|ψ⟩ + b|ϕ⟩) = a⟨ϕ|ψ⟩ + b⟨ϕ|ϕ⟩

2. **Normalization:** Normalized ket vectors have an inner product of 1 with themselves: ⟨ψ|ψ⟩ = 1.

3. **Completeness:** The set of ket vectors forms a complete basis for the Hilbert space, meaning any
state can be expressed as a linear combination of ket vectors.

5.1 Example Problems

5.1.1 Problem 1
   
Given two normalized ket vectors |α⟩ = √1 | ↑⟩ + √1 | ↓⟩ and |β⟩ = √i2 | ↑⟩ − √i | ↓⟩ , find the inner
2 2 2
product ⟨α|β⟩.
**Solution:**
Using the linearity of inner products:
 
i i
⟨α|β⟩ = ⟨α| √ | ↑⟩ − √ | ↓⟩
2 2
Now, calculate the inner products:

   
1 1 1
⟨α| ↑⟩ = √ ⟨↑ | ↑⟩ + √ ⟨↓ | ↑⟩ = √
2 2 2
   
1 1 1
⟨α| ↓⟩ = √ ⟨↑ | ↓⟩ + √ ⟨↓ | ↓⟩ = √
2 2 2
So,
     
i 1 i 1
⟨α|β⟩ = √ √ − √ √ =0
2 2 2 2

5.1.2 Problem 2
   
Consider two normalized ket vectors |A⟩ = √2 |ψ1 ⟩ + √1 |ψ2 ⟩ and |B⟩ = √1 |ψ1 ⟩ − √2 |ψ2 ⟩ . Calculate
5 5 5 5
the probability of measuring the system in state |A⟩ when it’s prepared in state |B⟩.
**Solution:**
The probability of measuring |A⟩ when the system is in state |B⟩ is given by the square of the absolute
value of the inner product:

P (|A⟩ when |B⟩) = |⟨A|B⟩|2

Now, calculate the inner product ⟨A|B⟩:

2
      
2 1 2 2
⟨A|B⟩ = √ √ ⟨ψ1 |ψ1 ⟩ + √ −√ ⟨ψ1 |ψ2 ⟩
5 5 5 5
     
1 1 1 2
+ √ √ ⟨ψ2 |ψ1 ⟩ + √ −√ ⟨ψ2 |ψ2 ⟩
5 5 5 5
2 4 2
= − =−
5 5 5
Now, calculate the probability:

P (|A⟩ when |B⟩) = |⟨A|B⟩|2

2  2
2 2 4
= − = =
5 5 25
4
So, the probability of measuring |A⟩ when the system is prepared in state |B⟩ is 25 .

6 Conclusion
Dirac notation provides a compact and powerful framework for representing quantum states, operators, and
their interactions. It simplifies calculations involving quantum mechanics and allows for a more intuitive
understanding of quantum systems by emphasizing the notion of inner products, which quantify the similarity
between quantum states. Through the use of ket vectors, bra vectors, and inner products, Dirac notation
facilitates a deeper understanding of quantum mechanics and its applications.