Quantum Optics HW1

Aaron Hillman
February 7, 2017

Problem 1
We again have a separated solution of the form

(x, t) = (A sin(kn x) + B cos(kn x))ein t

From the condition (0, t) = 0 we see that B = 0. Then we apply that the first derivative
of positon vanish at x = a. This gives us

Akn cos(kn a) = 0
 
1
kn = n+
a 2

Now we are interested in the zero-point energy. This is given by the sum of the energies
in each mode. We use the regularization procedure presented in class and have

()
X ~n
E0 = en
2
n=0

We note the standard relation k = /c and we will invoke the identities

X 1
en =
1 e
n=0
 
X 1
nen =
1 e
n=0
e 1
= =
(1 e )2 4 sinh2 (/2)

Our regularized summation is then

 
() ~ X 1 (n+1/2)c/a
E0 = c n + e
2a 2
n=0

!
~c c/2a X
cn/a 1
= e ne + ecn/a
2a 2
n=0
 
~c c/2a 1 1
= e 2 +
2a 4 sinh (c/2a) 2(1 ec/a )

1
 !
~c ec/2a 1
= 2 +
2a 4 sinh (c/2a) 4 sinh(c/2a)

We utilize the Taylor expansion

ex 1 1 1
2 + = 2+ + O(x2 )
4 sinh (x) 4 sinh(x) 4x 24

and we get

a2
 
~c 1
E0 = 2 2 2
+
2a c 24

we already derived in class that in the continuum case we have divergent term
~
E0L = L
2 2 c
In such case, we get

a2
 
a ~c 1 ~a ~c
E0 E0L = 2 2 2
+ 2
=
L 2a c 24 2 c 48a

and so
E ~c
F (a) = =
a 48a2
Problem 2

 
P n
Lemma 0.1. Ank B(A)k = [A, . . . , [A, B]]n
k k

Proof. We can prove this inductively. The base case is obvious with n = 1 being the
usual commutator [A, B]. Then, assuming the result we show
X n X n
nk k
A A B(A) Ank B(A)k A
k k
k n,k
X n X n
= Ank+1 B(A)k + Ank B(A)k+1
k k
k k

the like terms with Ank and (A)k+1 have combined coefficient
   
n n n! n!
+ = +
k+1 k (n k 1)!(k + 1)! (n k)!k!
 
n!(n k) n!(k + 1) (n + 1)! n+1
= + = =
(n k)!(k + 1)! (n k)!(k + 1)! (n k)!(k + 1)! k+1

2
an so we have that the sum is
X n + 1
[A, . . . [A, B]]]n+1 = [A, [A, . . . , [A, B]]n ] = An+1j B(A)j
j
j

and so we are done.

We see that we have the expansion

(A)n (A)n
X  X 
B
n! n!

Each term in this sum is of the form

n X n n
 
X 1
n Ank B(A)k = Ank B(A)k = [A, . . . , [A, B]]
(n k)!k! n! k n!
k k

We have

n=1 (AB + BA) = [A, B]

2
2
n=2 A2 B 2ABA + BA2 = [A, [A, B]]
2! 2!
This shows
2
eA BeA = B [A, B] + [A, [A, B]] + . . .
2!
for gA = eA in some Lie Group G and B in the corresponding Lie Algebra g, this is
the adjoint action AdgA (B).

Problem 3

(a) First we note that f (a, a ) can uniquely be expanded in a Taylor series as
X
f (a, a ) = nm (a )n am
n,m

and it is unique as we can normal order terms and rearrange them in the sum,
changing the nm s until we have our expansion. First we note

aa (a )n1 am = (1 + a a)(a )n1 am

= = n(a )n1 am + (a )n am+1

and so

[a, (a )n am ] = n(a )n1 am + (a )n am+1 (a )n am+1 = n(a )n1 am

and so we have
X X f
[a, f (a, a )] = nm (a )n am = nm n(a )n1 am =
n,m n,m
a

3
 (b) Using equivalent reasoning as in the last problem, we see

[a , (a )n am ] = (a )n+1 am ((a )n+1 am + m(a )n am1 ) = m(a )n am1

and so
X X f
[a , f (a, a )] = nm (a )n am = nm m(a )n am1 =
n,m n,m
a

(c) Using problem two we have

a 2
ea a f (a, a )ea = f (a, a ) [a a, f ] + [a a, [a a, f ]] + . . .
2!
and
f f
[a a, f ] = a
a
a a
term by term we have
h i
[a a, ] : nm (a )n am nm n(a )n am m(a )n am

applying successive transformations we see that term by term

2 n2 2 m2
   
n m n m
nm (a ) a nm 1 n + + . . . (a ) a 1 + m + + ...
2! 2!
= nm en (a )n em am

and so, given this is the transformation term by term, we have

X
ea a f (a, a )ea a = nm (e a )n (e a)m = f (e a, e a )
nm

Problem 4

(a) We use the variable instead of  because it looks nice. We have

 
1 ? 2 1 2
S() = exp a (a )
2 2

Then we look at
1 1 1  
[a, (a )2 ] = [(a )2 , a] = a [a , a] + [a , a]a = a
2 2 2
and
1
[a , ? a2 ] = ? a
2
We then use problem two again, defining A = 12 ? a2 21 (a )2 and, noting that

4
 S () = S() we only need to look at
1
S ()aS() = eA aeA = a [A, a] + [A, [A, a]] + . . .
2!
1 2 1
= a a + || a ||2 a + . . .
2!! 3!

!
X ||2n X ||2n
= a a
(2n)! (2n + 1)!
n=0 n=0

! !
X r 2n X r2n+1
= a e 2i
a
(2n)! (2n + 1)!
n=0 n=0
2i
= a cosh r a e sinh r

Then we note
 
S ()aS() = S ()a S()

and so

S ()a S() = a cosh r ae2i sinh r

(b) This problem amounts to proving

S ()D()S() = D()

We note D() = exp a ? a and we have

 

h i
S ()D()S() = exp S ()(a ? a)S()

using part (a) this becomes

h    i
exp a cosh r ae2i sinh r ? a cosh r a e2i sinh r

collecting terms for common operators, we have

h    i
S ()D()S() = exp cosh r + ? e2i sinh r a ? cosh r + e2i sinh r a

and defining = cosh r + ? e2i sinh r we get

S ()D()S() = D()

and so

D()S() |0i = S()S ()D()S() |0i = S()D() |0i

which is what we set out to prove.