Temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator

In summary, the classical temporal component of the energy-momentum tensor takes the form P^0 = \frac{1}{4} \int d^3p \left[ \left( a_p a_{-p} + a_p^\dagger a_{-p}^\dagger \right) \left( \frac{-2 \vec{p}^2}{E_p} \right) + \left( a_p a_p^\dagger + a_p^\dagger a_p \right) 2E_p \right], where E_p = p^0.
  • #1
mjordan2nd
177
1

Homework Statement



Consider the real scalar field with the Lagrangian [itex]\mathcal{L}=\frac{1}{2}\partial_\mu \phi \partial^\mu \phi - \frac{1}{2} m^2 \phi^2[/itex]. Show that after normal ordering the conserved four-momentum [itex]P^\mu = \int d^3x T^{0 \mu}[/itex] takes the operator form

[tex]P^\mu = \int \frac{d^3p}{(2 \pi)^3} p^\mu a_p^\dagger a_p.[/tex]

I have already showed that the three spatial components of the momentum operator satisfy the above. I'm left with showing that the temporal component of the normal-ordered momentum operator also satisfies the above.

Homework Equations



The classical temporal component, [itex]T^{00},[/itex] of the energy-mometum tensor is

[tex]T^{00}=\frac{1}{2} \dot{\phi}^2+\frac{1}{2} \left( \nabla \phi \right)^2 + \frac{1}{2}m^2 \phi^2.[/tex]

To quantize this we use the following expansion for the fields

[tex]\phi(x) = \int \frac{d^3p}{(2 \pi)^3 \sqrt{2 E_p}} \left[ a_p e^{i \vec{p} \cdot \vec{x}} + a_p^\dagger e^{-i\vec{p} \cdot \vec{x}} \right]. [/tex]

Note that [itex]a_p[/itex] and [itex]a_p^\dagger[/itex] satisfy the typical commutation relations for creation and annihilation operators.

The Attempt at a Solution



After taking the appropriate derivatives, expansion, simplifications using delta functions, commutation relations, and imposing that everything lies on the mass-shell I have been able to show that

[tex]P^0 = \frac{1}{4} \int d^3p \left[ \left( a_p a_{-p} + a_p^\dagger a_{-p}^\dagger \right) \left( \frac{-2 \vec{p}^2}{E_p} \right) + \left( a_p a_p^\dagger + a_p^\dagger a_p \right) 2E_p \right], [/tex]

where [itex]E_p = p^0.[/itex] I've been over this calculation twice, and am fairly confident that it is correct thus far, though I may still be wrong on that fact. If I only had the last two terms then this would be exactly what I was looking for. However, I can't see how to make the first two terms disappear in this case. For the spatial part I also had four terms, but instead of the first two terms being multiplied by [itex]p^2[/itex] they were only multiplied by [itex]p[/itex], making the first two terms odd, and thus disappear when integrated over the reals. In this case my first two terms are even, and so I'm a bit lost as to how to make them go away.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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  • #2
Unfortunately, it seems that your mistake was made in deriving the equation you've given, because the first two terms should cancel out.

I think your issue might be in neglecting that the exponents in the field expansion should contain time-dependence. For example, I would expect that your term [itex]a_pa_{-p}[/itex] should be multiplying a factor [itex]e^{-2i\omega t}[/itex] (if I got the sign in the exponent right).
 
  • #3
I wanted to explicitly do this in the Schrodinger picture. A friend and I were working on this together, and he decided to do this in the Heisenberg picture while I did it in the Schrodinger picture. I don't see where the exponentials would come from in the Schrodinger picture. I can post the gory details if you think that would be helpful.
 

1. What is the temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator?

The temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator is a mathematical expression used in quantum mechanics to describe the momentum of a particle in the time direction. It is denoted as P0 and is related to the energy of the particle through the equation P0 = i(E/c), where c is the speed of light.

2. How is the temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator different from the spatial components?

The temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator is different from the spatial components (Px, Py, Pz) because it describes the momentum of a particle in the time direction, whereas the spatial components describe the momentum in the three-dimensional space. This difference is due to the fact that time and space are treated differently in quantum mechanics.

3. What is the physical significance of the temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator?

The temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator has physical significance because it is related to the energy of a particle, which is a fundamental quantity in quantum mechanics. It also plays a crucial role in the time evolution of a quantum system, as it is used in the Schrödinger equation to describe the time evolution of a wavefunction.

4. What is the commutation relation of the temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator with other operators?

The commutation relation of the temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator with other operators is given by [P0, A] = iħ(dA/dt), where A is any operator. This means that the temporal component of the momentum operator does not commute with any other operator, except for the Hamiltonian operator in the case of time-independent systems.

5. How is the temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator used in practical applications?

The temporal component of the normal ordered momentum operator is used in practical applications to calculate the time evolution of quantum systems, such as in the study of atomic and molecular dynamics. It is also used in the calculation of transition probabilities and in the analysis of scattering experiments. Additionally, it is used in the formulation of time-dependent perturbation theory in quantum mechanics.

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