PH 652 Homework Assignment 4 1.

Stern-Gerlach Experiment Suppose a beam of electrons is red through a Stern-Gerlach apparatus with the magnetic eld aligned with the z axis. Upon emerging, the original beam is deected or split into two beams, one which contains Sz = + /2 electrons and the other which h contains Sz = /2 electrons. h (a) Block the Sz = /2 beam and let the Sz = + /2 beam pass through a second Sternh h Gerlach apparatus, in which the magnetic eld is now aligned with the x axis. What fraction of the incoming Sz = + /2 beam will contain electrons that are spin up along the h x axis? (b) Now take these spin-up along the x axis electrons and pass them through a third SternGerlach apparatus, with the magnetic eld aligned again with the z axis. What fraction of the Sz = + /2 beam from the rst apparatus will now emerge with Sz = + /2 from the h h third apparatus? Comment. 2. Stern-Gerlach Experiment Suppose the n axis is dened by the unit vector n = nx x + ny y + nz z, where nx = 0, nz = cos , and ny = sin (i.e., n lies in the z-y plane and makes an angle of with respect to the z axis). Assume that the component of spin angular momentum S along the n axis is given by n S. (a) What are the matrix representations of the spin-up |n+ and spin-down |n along n states? (b) Suppose a beam of electrons is red through a Stern-Gerlach apparatus with the magnetic eld aligned with the z axis. Upon emerging, the original beam is deected or split into two beams, one which contains Sz = + /2 electrons and the other which contains Sz = /2 h h electrons. Let the Sz = + /2 beam pass through a second Stern-Gerlach apparatus, with h the magnetic eld aligned to n. As a function of , what fraction of the beam from the second apparatus will emerge with spin-up along n? 3. Total angular momentum Suppose the electron in a H atom occupies the combined spin and position state 1 0 2 1 Y1 + Y . (r, spin) = R21 3 3 1 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) If you measured L2 , what values might you get, and with what probabilities? Same for Lz . Same for S 2 . Same for Sz . Let J = L + S be the total angular momentum. If you measured J 2 , what values might you get, and with what probabilities? (f) Same for Jz .

4. Clebsch-Gordon coecients Calculate all the Clebsch-Gordon coecients for adding angular momenta 1 and 1/2.

Old Comprehensive Exam Problems 5. Modied 2008 problem To a good approximation, the Hamiltonian for a positronium atom in the 1S conguration state in a magnetic eld B = B0 z is given by H= eB0 2 S 1 S 2 + mc (S1z S2z ) h 1 ,

where S is a spin angular momentum, is a characteristic energy, and the electron is labeled as particle 1 and the positron as particle 2. (a) Experimentally, it is known that for B0 = 0 the frequency of the triplet-to-singlet transition is 2.0338 105 MHz. Use this information to nd in eV. ( = 6.59 1016 eV-s.) h (b) In the basis consisting of the coupled representation spin states, nd the matrix representation of H when the magnetic eld is present. (From the form of H, you see that the magnetic eld mixes the m = 0 singlet and triplet states, but that B does not aect the other two triplet states.) (c) Find the eigenenergies in the presence of the magnetic eld. Sketch the energy levels when B0 = 0 and when B0 > 0. 6. 2006 Consider an electron of charge e and mass m in a constant magnetic eld B = zB0 . The electrons magnetic moment = (ge/2mc)S, where g is Land g-factor. e (a) Find a general expression (i.e., one before initial conditions are applied) for the time evolution of Sx (b) Suppose a measurement at time t = 0 shows the electron spin to be aligned along the positive x direction. Find the time evolution of Sx in this case. (c) What is the frequency of Sx ? Comment on this result. 7. 2005 Recall that a spin-1/2 particle with gyromagnetic ratio at rest in a static magnetic eld B0 z precesses at the the Larmor frequency 0 = B0 . Now suppose we apply an oscillating radiofrequency (RF) magnetic eld B r = Br x cos t Br y sin t. (a) Find the Hamiltonian matrix for the particle. (b) If is the matrix representation of the spin state, derive time-dierential equations for a(t) and b(t), the amplitudes for being found in the spin up and spin down congurations, respectively. Let = Br . (c) The solution of these equations is not trivial; however, if the particle starts out in the spin-up state, then b(t) = (i/ ) sin( t/2) exp(it/2), where = ( 0 )2 + 2 . Calculate the probability of nding the particle in a spin-down state as a function of time. (d) Find the frequency where P is a maximum, as well as the full width at half maximum . Using this technique of magnetic resonance, the gyromagnetic ratio (or the dipole moment) of a particle can be measured.