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ggb123
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Homework Statement
I have my quantum mechanics final creeping up on me and I just have a question about something that doesn't appear to be covered in the text.
Let's say you have a wave function of the following form for a linear harmonic oscillator:
[itex] \Psi = c_1 | E_1 \rangle + c_2 | E_2 \rangle [/itex]
The basis is just the first two excited energy states. My question is how the Hamiltonian matrix is represented in this case. Is it
[itex] H = \hbar \omega \left( \begin{matrix} 0 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & \frac{3}{2} & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & \frac{5}{2} \end{matrix} \right) [/itex]
Or do you just use the non-zero elements:
[itex] H = \hbar \omega \left( \begin{matrix} \frac{3}{2} & 0 \\ 0 & \frac{5}{2} \end{matrix} \right) [/itex]
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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