Applied Mathematics I Physics Department, National Taiwan University

Professor Jiun-Huei Proty Wu Semester 112-2 (Spring 2024)

Example Sheet 4

1. Consider a vector space in C 𝟐 , with a known basis of {|𝒆𝟏 ⟩ = (1, 0), |𝒆𝟐 ⟩ = (0, 1)}. A unitary
0 −𝑖
transformation is done by the matrix 𝑼 = ( ). Answer the following questions.
𝑖 0
(a) What is the new basis {|𝒆𝟏 ′⟩, |𝒆𝟐 ′⟩} in the new coordinate system, as presented in the
original system of basis {|𝒆𝟏 ⟩, |𝒆𝟐 ⟩}, i.e. what are the coordinates of |𝒆𝟏 ′⟩ and |𝒆𝟐 ′⟩ in the
original coordinate system?
0 1 0 −𝑖
(b) Consider three operations represented by the matrices 𝝈𝟏 = ( ) , 𝝈𝟐 = ( ) , 𝝈𝟑 =
1 0 𝑖 0
1 0
( ) given the basis {|𝒆𝟏 ⟩, |𝒆𝟐 ⟩}. What are their corresponding matrices 𝝈′𝟏 , 𝝈′𝟐 , 𝝈𝟑 ′
0 −1
with the basis {|𝒆𝟏 ′⟩, |𝒆𝟐 ′⟩}?

2. Consider a vector space in C 𝟐 , with a known basis of {|𝒆𝟏 ′⟩ = (1, −𝑖 ), |𝒆𝟐 ′⟩ = (𝑖, 𝑖 )}. Answer
the following questions.
(a) What are the lengths of |𝒆𝟏 ′⟩ and |𝒆𝟐 ′⟩?
(b) What is the metric tensor 𝑮 (whose components are the metric coefficients)?
(c) With the given basis, the coordinates of two vectors are |𝒙′⟩ = (1 + 𝑖, 𝑖) and |𝒚′⟩ = (−𝑖, 1).
Evaluate ⟨𝒙′|𝒚′⟩.
(d) Consider a new basis {|𝒆𝟏 ⟩ = (1, 0), |𝒆𝟐 ⟩ = (0, 1)}. We denote |𝒙⟩ and |𝒚⟩ as the two
vectors in this new space that correspond to the two vectors in (b). If |𝒙′⟩ = 𝑨|𝒙⟩, what is
𝑨?
(e) What are the coordinates of |𝒙⟩ and |𝒚⟩?
(f) Evaluate ⟨𝒙|𝒚⟩. Compare this result with the result in (b).
(g) Write down the relation between 𝑮 and 𝑨, and substitute your results in (a) and (c) to verify
this relation.
0 −𝑖
(h) An operation can be represented by the matrix 𝝈𝟐 = ( ) given the basis {|𝒆𝟏 ⟩, |𝒆𝟐 ⟩}.
𝑖 0
What’s its corresponding matrix 𝝈𝟐 ′ with the basis {|𝒆𝟏 ′⟩, |𝒆𝟐 ′⟩}?
3. The following properties of matrices are very important. Try to prove them!
(a) Matrix A is diagonal and all its diagonal elements are different. A and B commute. Show that
B is also diagonal.
(b) If the matrices of angular momentum satisfy [Mp, Mq]=i Mr where p, q, r (=x, y, z) are
cyclic, show that Tr(Mx) = Tr(My) = Tr(Mz) = 0.
(c) If A and B anti-commute and A2 =B2 =1, show that Tr(A) = Tr(B) = 0.
(d) Show that an anti-Hermitian matrix will be also anti-Hermitian under a unitary
transformation.
(e) If [A,B] = i C, and A and B are Hermitian, show that C is also Hermitian.
4. Dirac matrices (not for exams; practice only)
Based on the definitions given in the lecture notes, answer the following.
(a) Write down the explicit matrix forms of 𝛼1 , 𝛼2 , 𝛼3 , 𝛼4 , 𝛼5 .
(b) Write down the explicit matrix forms of 𝑌1 , 𝑌2 , 𝑌3 , 𝑌4 , 𝑌5 .
(c) You can see that 𝛼𝑖 and 𝑌𝑖 (i=1-5) are all unitary, that their determinants are all unity, and
that their traces all vanish. Now evaluate 𝛼1 𝛼2 , 𝛼3 𝛼4 , 𝑌1 𝑌2 , and 𝑌3 𝑌4 .

5. Inertial matrix and rotational system

Consider a system of 6 particle points (質點), each of which has a mass of m. Their coordinates
are (1,1,0), (-1,-1,0), (2,-2,0), (-2,2,0), (0,0,3), and (0,0,-3).
(a) Use the formula given in the lecture to compute the inertial matrix I.
(b) If this system forms a rigid body and has an angular velocity of 𝝎 = (1,0,1), evaluate its
1
angular momentum 𝑳 = 𝑰𝝎 and the rotational energy 𝑇rot = 2 < 𝜔|𝑰|𝜔 >.
(c) Now consider a coordinate transformation of the new basis {|𝒆𝟏 ⟩ = (1/√2, 1/√2, 0), |𝒆𝟐 ⟩ =
(−1/√2, 1/√2, 0), |𝒆𝟑 ⟩ = (0,0,1)}. What is the inertial matrix 𝑰′ in this coordinate system?
You may use the definition of the inertial matrix together with the new coordinates of the 6
points to evaluate this, or you could perform a similarity transformation to obtain 𝑰′ directly
from 𝑰. You should obtain the same result although the latter method is apparently cleaner.
(d) What is the angular velocity of 𝝎′ in this coordinate system?
(e) In this coordinate system, use 𝑰′ and 𝝎′ to evaluate angular momentum 𝑳′.
(f) Use the similarity transformation to transform the 𝑳 in (b) into the new coordinate system,
and compare the result with the 𝑳′ obtained in (e).
′
(g) Use 𝑰′ and 𝝎′ to evaluate 𝑇rot and compare it with the result obtained in (b).

6. Properties of eigenvalues and eigenvectors

1 0 0
Consider a matrix 𝑨 = (0 5/2 −1/2). It has three distinct eigenvectors |𝑣1 ⟩ = (1,0,0),
0 −1/2 5/2
|𝑣2 ⟩ = (0,1/√2, 1/√2), |𝑣3 ⟩ = (0, −1/√2, 1/√2).
(a) Find the eigenvalues 𝜆1 , 𝜆2 , 𝜆3 of 𝑨 that correspond to the eigenvectors |𝑣1 ⟩, |𝑣2 ⟩, |𝑣3 ⟩.
(b) For a given vector |𝑤1 ⟩ = (2,0,0), evaluate 𝑨|𝑤1 ⟩. You should have noticed that the
direction of |𝑤1 ⟩ is not changed after the operation of 𝑨. Why is that?
(c) For a given vector |𝑤2 ⟩ = (0,1,1), evaluate 𝑨|𝑤2 ⟩. You should have noticed that the
direction of |𝑤2 ⟩ is not changed after the operation of 𝑨. Why is that?
(d) For a given vector |𝑥 ⟩ = (2,0, √2), evaluate |𝑦⟩ = 𝑨|𝑥 ⟩. You should have noticed that the
direction of |𝑥 ⟩ has been changed after the operation of 𝑨.
(e) If |𝑥⟩ = 𝑥1′ |𝑣1 ⟩ + 𝑥2′ |𝑣2 ⟩ + 𝑥3′ |𝑣3 ⟩, what are the values of 𝑥1′ , 𝑥2′ , and 𝑥3′ ?
(f) Using the results in (a) and (e), evaluate |𝑦2 ⟩ = 𝜆1 𝑥1′ |𝑣1 ⟩ + 𝜆2 𝑥2′ |𝑣2 ⟩ + 𝜆3 𝑥3′ |𝑣3 ⟩, and you
 will find that |𝑦2 ⟩ is exactly the same as the |𝑦⟩ in (d). This is because when 𝑨 is operated
on |𝑥 ⟩, 𝑨 changes the lengths of the eigenvector components of |𝑥 ⟩ (namely
𝑥1′ |𝑣1 ⟩, 𝑥2′ |𝑣2 ⟩, 𝑥3′ |𝑣3 ⟩) each by the amount of their eigenvalues.
⟨𝑣1 |
(g) If we define 𝑴 = (⟨𝑣2 |), compute 𝑨′ = 𝑴𝑨𝑴−1 . You should find that 𝑨′ =
⟨𝑣3 |

𝜆1 0 0
(0 𝜆2 0 ). This process is called diagonlisation, and 𝑴 is an orthogonal matrix that
0 0 𝜆3
transforms the original coordinate system into a new coordinate system of the new basis
{|𝑣1 ⟩, |𝑣2 ⟩, |𝑣3 ⟩}.
(h) Compute 𝑴−1 𝑨′𝑴. You should find that this result is exactly 𝑨, because 𝑴−1 𝑨′ 𝑴 =
𝑴−1 (𝑴𝑨𝑴−1 )𝑴 = 𝑨. This process is to transform the diagonlised 𝑨′ in the new coordinate
system back into the original coordinate system, where it’s presented as 𝑨.
−1−𝑖
4/3 1+𝑖 1
3
7. Consider a matrix 𝑨 = (−1+𝑖 ). It has two distinct eigenvectors |𝑣1 ⟩ = ( , 3), |𝑣2 ⟩ =
3
5/3
3

1+𝑖 2
( , √3). We have |𝑤1 ⟩, |𝑤1 ⟩, and |𝑥 ⟩. Repeat the questions (a)-(h) in question 6 in a similar
√6

manner.