1.

Evaluate the eect of a small anharmonic term of the form

V
anh
= x
3
,
on the spectrum of harmonic oscillator with mass m and frequency .
(a) Start by showing that
k|x
3
|n =
1
(2 m)
3/2
_
_
(n + 1)(n + 2)(n + 3)
k,n+3
+ 3(n + 1)
3/2

k,n+1
+
3n
3/2

k,n1
+
_
n(n 1)(n 2)
k,n3
_
.
(b) Calculate the rst-order energy shift E
(1)
n
in perturbation theory in V
anh
.
(c) Calculate the second-order energy shift E
(2)
n
.
2. Consider the potential associated to half harmonic oscillator
V (x) =
_
_
_
, for x 0
1
2
m
2
x
2
, for x > 0
.
(a) Compute the spectrum of energies for a particle of mass m subject to this poten-
tial;
(b) Give the expressions, including the appropriate normalization, of the wavefunc-
tions of the energy eigenstates for this system.
(c) At t < 0 the particle is in its ground state. At t = 0 the wall at x = 0 is removed
and the particle is now subject to the potential
1
2
m
2
x
2
for < x < . What
is the probability the at a subsequent measurement the particle be found in the
ground state of the new potential?
3. Consider the wave function of a particle and the wave function

of its antiparticle.
Both particle and antiparticle have the same constant Hamiltonian diagonal matrix
elements: |H| =

|H|

= M. Particle and antiparticle interact with each other

via a constant interaction term:

|H| = |H|

= . We assume M and to be
real.
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Quantum Problems by SK14
(a) In the particle-antiparticle basis we represent and

as =
_
1
0
_
and

=
_
0
1
_
.
In this basis, calculate the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian.
(b) If we produce a pure particle state at time t = 0, what is the probability of
nding the system in the same particle state at later time t > 0?
(c) Now consider a small perturbation to the Hamiltonian such that
|H
e
| =

|H
e
|

= M + i , and

|H
e
| = |H
e
|

= + i ,
with > 0.
(We call this an eective Hamiltonian since it is no longer Hermitian.) To rst
order in , what are the changes in the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the eective
Hamiltonian?
(d) Assuming these rst-order changes, if we again produce a pure particle state
at time t
0
= 0, what is the probability of nding the system in the same particle
state at a much later time t, where t 1/.
4. Apply the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule to calculate the bound state energies of
the potential
V (x) =
V
0
cosh
2
(x/a)
.
(a) Show that your results can be written in the form
E
n
=
_
_
V
0

_
n +
1
2
_
_
1
2ma
2
_
2
.
Hint: You might use the integral
_
A
0

A
2
u
2
du
1 + u
2
=

2
_

1 + A
2
1
_
.
(b) If V
0
1/2ma
2
, show that your result approximates the harmonic oscillator
behavior at the bottom of the well.
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