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University at Buffalo

Physics Dept.
PART IIB

1.

This is a closed book exam

2.

Calculators are allowed.

Fall 2012 Qualifying Exam

QUANTUM MECHANICS

3.
DO EACH PROBLEM IN A SEPARATE BLUE BOOK. On the cover of the blue book
write only the letter that has been assigned to you (NOT YOUR NAME) and the problem number.
4.

DO ONLY FOUR PROBLEMS.

5.
The exam was designed to be done in three hours, but you will have up to four hours, should
you need them.
Some Physical Constants
Gravitational constant
Speed of light in vacuum
Permeability of free space
Permittivity of free space
Planck's constant
Electron charge
Electron mass
Proton mass
Bohr magneton
Boltzmann's constant
Stefan-Boltzmann constant
Universal gas constant
Avogadro's number

G
c
o
o
h
e
me
mp
B
k

R
NA

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

6.67310-11
2.998108
410-7
8.85410-12
6.62610-34
-1.60210-19
9.10910-31
1.67310-27
9.27410-24
1.38110-23
5.67110-8
8.314
6.0221023

Some Conversion Factors


1 eV
=
1.60210-19 J
1 erg =
10-7 J
1 cal
=
4.184 J
1 gauss =
10-4 T
lu
=
(mass of C12 atom) /12 = 1.6610-27 Kg
1 atm =
1.013105 N/m2

N.m2/kg2
m/s
T.m/A
C2/N.m2
J.s
C
kg
kg
J/T
J/K
J/m2.s.K4
J/mol.K
/mol

Qualifier 2B 2012
Problem 1 QM
A quantum mechanical particle of mass m and electric charge e interacts with an external electromagnetic field given by a scalar potential (r) and vector potential A(r), which depend on the
position r = (x, y, z) of the particle
=

K0 z 2
,
2e

Ax =

B0 y
,
2

Ay =

B0 x
,
2

Az = 0 ,

where K0 and B0 are positive constants.


(a) (5 points) Write down the quantum mechanical operators for the canonical momentum p,
the mechanical momentum vector components x , y , z , the Hamiltonian H, and the canonical
angular momentum L and mechanical angular momentum vector x , y , z of the particle, as
they act on the wavefunction (r) of the particle.
(b) (10 points) Find all of the non-zero commutators of the operators listed in part (a).
(c) (10 points) Find the energy eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian of the system and discuss their
degeneracies as functions of k and B0 . Hint: compare the commutation relations obtained in part
(b) with the commutation relations for a harmonic oscillator.

Qualifier 2B 2012
Problem 2B QM

A series of recent experiments done in Professor Bruce McCombes lab at UB


explored electron motions and Aharonov-Bohm effect in quantum dots in type-II
semiconductors (where only electron or hole is confined). A simple model for
this system is a particle of charge q and mass m moving freely (and nonrelativistically) on a ring of radius R. Let us consider the spectrum of this
charged particle.
(a) (3 points) What is the momentum operator of the particle? Recall that

p i in real space in general.


(b) (10 points) What is the Hamiltonian for the particle? Solve for the
eigenstates and eigenenergies of the particle. Hint: keep in mind that we have
periodic boundary condition for the wave function.
(c) (5 points) A magnetic flux of in the form of
a long
solenoid is passed

through the ring, but there is no magnetic field ( B A 0 ) at the ring. A


proper
choice of the vector potential, which should have rotational symmetry,

is A A e , where A is a constant and e is the unit vector in the tangential


direction of the ring. How is A related to the magnetic flux
(d) (7 points) Write down the Hamiltonian for the particle in the presence of the
flux, and solve for its eigenenergies and eigenstates.

Qualifier 2B 2012
Problem 3 QM

Consider a physical system whose three-dimensional state space is spanned by


the orthonormal basis formed by the three kets |u1 i, |u2 i, |u3 i. In this basis,
the Hamilton operator H and the observable A are written:

1 0 0
1 0 0
A = a0 0 1;
H = h0 0 2 0 ;
0 1 0
0 0 2
where 0 and a are positive real constants.
The physical state at time t = 0 is the state:
1
1
1
|(0)i = |u1 i + |u2 i + |u3 i .
2
2
2
(a) (8 points) At time t = 0, the energy of the system is measured. What
values can be found, and with what probabilities ? Calculate, for the
system in the state |(0)i, the mean value hHi and the root-mean-square
deviation H.
(b) (8 points) Instead of measuring H at the time t = 0, one measures A;
what results can be found, and with what probabilities ? What is the
state vector immediately after the measurement ?
(c) (4 points) Calculate the state vector |(t)i of the system at time t.
(d) (5 points) Calculate the mean value hAi(t) of A at time t. What comments can be made ?

Qualifier 2B 2012
Problem 4 QM

Figure 1: see text


Consider an attractive square well potential V0 in the region x = a to x = a.
The potential is zero elsewhere. Consider a stream of electrons coming from the
left with energy E.
(a) (8
points) With reference to the Figure, let III = A exp(ip1 x/h) for x > a,
II
p1 = 2mE
p and let = B exp(ip2 x/h) + C exp(ip2 x/h) for a x a
and p2 = 2m(E + V0 ). Find B = B(A) and C = C(A).
(b) (8 points) Let I = D exp(ip1 x/h) + E exp(ip1 x/h). Find D = D(B, C)
and E = E(B, C).
(c) (9 points) Now find D = D(A)

Qualifier 2B 2012
Problem 5 QM

Consider a 2-dimensional harmonic oscillator described by the Hamiltonian


1 2
1
Ho =
p x + p2y + m2 x 2 + y2
2m
2
Its eigenstates are products of 1D harmonic oscillator states given by (o)
nxny = nx n y ,

where nx and ny are 0,1,2,3, The raising and lowering operators A+, A, B+, B are defined
by x =

=
=
A + + A and y =
B+ + B . Also n x A + A n x = n x and
2m
2m

n y B+ B n y = n y .

We now apply to this oscillator the perturbation H ' = 2xy .


(Hint: Work this problem using the raising and lowering operators.)

a) (4pt) What are the unperturbed energies E(o)


n x ,n y in terms of nx, ny, and = .
What are the degeneracies of the unperturbed ground and first excited states?
b) (4pt) What is the first order energy correction to the ground state?
c) (5pt) Obtain the perturbed ground-state wavefunction to first order in .
d) (6pt) Calculate the perturbed energy eigenvalues of the first excited state to first order
in .
e) (6pt) What linear combinations of the unperturbed states correspond to the eigenvalues
in part (d)?

Qualifier 2B 2012
Problem 6 QM

An electron is moving in one dimension (x) subject to the periodic boundary


condition that the wave function reproduces itself after a length L (L is large).
(a) (8 points) What is the Hamiltonian for the free particle, and what are the
stationary states of the system? What is the degeneracy of these states?
(b) (9 points) Now add a perturbation = , where qL=2N (N is a
large integer), recalculate the energy levels and stationary states to first
order in for an electron momentum of q/2.
(c) (8 points) Repeat part (b) for electron momentum near, but not equal to,
q/2. (Omit the calculation for stationary states.)

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