763312A QUANTUM MECHANICS I - solution set 8 - autumn 2012

1. Hermite Polynomials
Calculate the rst three Hermite polynomials by using the generating function.
After that, calculate the third Hermite polynomial again by using the recurrence
relation.
Solution
This topic is discussed in the lecture notes section 11.1.3. For a general discus-
sion on the topic, see e.g. Wikipedia articles Generating function and Hermite
polynomials.
The generating function for the Hermite polynomials is
e
s
2
+2s
=

n=0
H
n
()
n!
s
n
. (1.1)
Expanding the left-hand side and combining equal powers of s yields
1 + 2s + (2
2
1)s
2
+ higher degree terms =

n=0
H
n
()
n!
s
n
. (1.2)
Comparison of the coecients yields
H
0
() = 1, (1.3)
H
1
() = 2, (1.4)
H
2
() = 4
2
2. (1.5)
Let us now calculate the third Hermite polynomial by using the recurrence
relation
H
n+1
() = 2H
n
() 2nH
n1
(). (1.6)
Setting n = 1 and substituting from Eqs. (1.3) and (1.4) yields
H
2
() = 2H
1
() 2H
0
()
= 2 2 2
= 4
2
2. (1.7)
We, of course, obtained the same result as by using the generating function.
1
2. Harmonic Oscillator
Calculate the expectation values of position and momentum for the harmonic
oscillator energy eigenstates.
Solution
The position expectation value

n
|x|
n
=
_

n
(x)x
n
(x) dx. (2.1)
The energy eigenfunction
n
(x) is either symmetric or antisymmetric because
the harmonic oscillator potential V (x) =
1
2
m
2
x
2
is symmetric and one-dimen-
sional bound states are nondegenerate (cf. lectures sections 3.3.1 and 3.3.4).
Consequently, the product

n
(x)
n
(x) is symmetric and the integrand in Eq.
(2.1) is antisymmetric. Thus the value of the integral is zero if the integral
converges. Since the integral indeed converges
1
,

n
|x|
n
= 0. (2.2)
The momentum expectation value

n
|p|
n
= i
_

n
(x)
d
n
(x)
dx
dx. (2.3)
Dierentiation changes the parity of a function (this can be shown by using the
denition of derivative). Consequently, if
n
(x) is symmetric (antisymmetric),
then

n
(x) is antisymmetric (symmetric). Thus the integrand in Eq. (2.3) is
antisymmetric. Consequently, the value of the integral is zero if the integral
converges. Since it indeed converges,

n
|p|
n
= 0. (2.4)
1
In the case of a nite potential well, a bound state wave function is exponentially decaying
outside the well. As one compares the harmonic oscillator potential to a well potential, one
sees that a harmonic oscillator wave function must vanish at least as quickly as a potential
well wave function.
2
3. Position-Momentum Uncertainty Product For 1D Har-
monic Oscillator
Show that the uncertainty relation
xp = (n +
1
2
)
holds for the harmonic oscillator energy eigenstates.
Solution
The recurrence relation for the Hermite polynomials reads (cf. lecture notes p.
98)
H
n+1
() = 2H
n
() 2nH
n1
(). (3.1)
In addition, they satisfy the identity
H

n
() = 2nH
n1
(). (3.2)
By denition, the position and momentum uncertainties in a state | are
x =
_
|x
2
| |x|
2
,
p =
_
|p
2
| |p|
2
, (3.3)
respectively (cf. lecture notes p. 80). In the previous solution, we calculated
the expectation values of position and momentum in the harmonic oscillator
energy eigenstates. Thus we yet need to determine the expectation values of
their squares.
We could infer
n
|x
2
|
n
and
n
|p
2
|
n
directly from the virial theorem
(which is proved in the lecture notes section 11.1.5). However, here we calculate
them from their denitions. The expectation value of the square of position,
n|x
2
|n = N
2
n

x
2
Hn(x)
2
e

2
x
2
dx x

=
N
2
n

(Hn())
2
e

2
d Eq. (3.1)
=
N
2
n

1
2
Hn+1() + nHn1()

2
e

2
d
=
N
2
n

1
4
Hn+1()
2
+ n
2
Hn1()
2
+ nHn+1()Hn1()

2
d. (3.4)
The values of the rst two integrals in the last line are known (cf. lecture notes
p. 97). The third integral in the last line vanishes due to orthogonality. Substi-
tution of these values yields
n|x
2
|n =
N
2
n

3
_
1
4
2
n+1
(n + 1)!

+n
2
2
n1
(n 1)!

_
N
2
n
=

2
n
n!

=
1

2
_
1
4
2(n + 1) +n
2

1
2

1
n
_
=
1

2
_
n +
1
2
_
. (3.5)
3
Note that while the result is correct also for the ground state, the calculation,
however, is not completely rigorous for it.
The expectation value of the square of momentum,
n|p
2
|n =
2
N
2
n
_

Hn(x)e

2
x
2
/2
d
2
dx
2
_
Hn(x)e

2
x
2
/2
_
dx x

=
2
N
2
n

Hn()e

2
/2
d
2
d
2
_
Hn()e

2
/2
_
d
=
2
N
2
n

Hne

2 _
H

n
2H

n
Hn +
2
Hn
_
d Eq. (3.2)
=
2
N
2
n

Hne

2 _
4n
2
H
n2
4nH
n1
Hn +
2
Hn
_
d Eq. (3.1)
=
2
N
2
n

Hne

2 _

2
Hn (2n + 1)Hn
_
d. (3.6)
The value of the rst integral in the last line has already been calculated in Eqs.
(3.4) and (3.5). The value of the second integral in the last line is known (cf.
lecture notes p. 97). Substitution of these values yields
n|p
2
|n =
2

2
_
n +
1
2
_
+ (2n + 1)
2
N
2
n
2
n
n!

N
2
n
=

2
n
n!

=
2

2
_
n +
1
2
_
+ (2n + 1)
2

2
=
2

2
_
n +
1
2
_
. (3.7)
Now we can calculate the position and momentum uncertainties. They are
x =
1

_
n +
1
2
,
p =
_
n +
1
2
. (3.8)
Thus, for the harmonic oscillator energy eigenfunctions,
xp =
_
n +
1
2
_
. (3.9)
4
4. Hermite Polynomials: Ratios of Coecients
Let us consider Hermite polynomials H
5
() =

2
k=0
a
2k

2k+1
and H
6
() =

3
k=0
a
2k

2k
. Calculate the ratios a
4
: a
2
: a
0
and a
6
: a
4
: a
2
: a
0
.
Solution
On the lecture notes page 97, there are two recurrence formulas for the Hermite
polynomial coecients. To be more precise, the rst one is for the even polyno-
mials whereas the second one is for the odd polynomials. As we set n = 5 and
employ the second one, we obtain
a
4
=
1
5
a
2
, (4.1)
a
2
=
4
3
a
0
. (4.2)
Substituting Eq. (4.2) into Eq. (4.1), we obtain
a
4
=
4
15
a
0
. (4.3)
Employing the two previous equations, we obtain
a
4
: a
2
: a
0
=
4
15
:
4
3
: 1. (4.4)
As we set n = 6 and employ the rst recurrence relation, we obtain
a
6
=
2
15
a
4
(4.5)
a
4
=
2
3
a
2
(4.6)
a
2
= 6a
0
. (4.7)
It follows that
a
6
=
8
15
a
0
(4.8)
a
4
= 4a
0
. (4.9)
Employing the three previous equations, we obtain
a
6
: a
4
: a
2
: a
0
=
8
15
: 4 : 6 : 1. (4.10)
5
5. Recurrence Relation for the Harmonic Oscillator Energy
Eigenfunctions
Show that the harmonic oscillator energy eigenfunctions
n
(x) satisfy the re-
currence relation
x
n
(x) =
_
n + 1
2

n+1
(x) +
_
n
2

n1
(x), =
_
m

.
Using this recurrence relation, calculate
3
(x) assuming that you know
0
(x)
and
1
(x).
Solution
The harmonic oscillator energy eigenfunctions are (cf. lecture notes p. 99)

n
(x) = N
n
H
n
(x)e

1
2

2
x
2
; n {0, 1, 2, }. (5.1)
The recurrence relation for the Hermite polynomials is
H
n+1
() = 2H
n
() 2nH
n1
(). (5.2)
As we employ these two results, we obtain
xn(x) = xNnHn(x)e

2
x
2
/2
= Nn
_
1
2
H
n+1
(x) +nH
n1
(x)
_
e

2
x
2
=
Nn
2N
n+1
N
n+1
H
n+1
(x)e

2
x
2
.
=
n+1
(x)
+
nNn
N
n1
N
n1
H
n1
(x)
.

n1
(x)
e

2
x
2
=
_
n + 1
2

n+1
(x) +
_
n
2

n1
(x). (5.3)
Let us determine
3
(x) in terms of
1
(x) and
0
(x) by employing the recur-
rence relation (5.3). First we cast the recurrence relation into form

n+1
(x) =
_
2
n + 1
_
x
n
(x)
_
n
2

n1
(x)
_
. (5.4)
Then we set n = 1, which yields

2
(x) = x
1
(x)
1

0
(x). (5.5)
Setting n = 2 and using the previous equation, we obtain

3
(x) =
_
2
3
_
x
2
(x)
1
(x)
_
=
_
2
3
_
x
_
x
1
(x)
1

0
(x)
_

1
(x)
_
=
_
2
3
_

2
x
2
1
_

1
(x)
x

0
(x). (5.6)
6