Exact dynamics of spin in varying magnetic field

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
KDPhysics
Messages
73
Reaction score
24
TL;DR
Can one use the Schrodinger picture propagator for a sudden, constant perturbation?
Consider an uncharged particle with spin one-half moving with speed ##v## in a region with magnetic field ##\textbf{B}=B\textbf{e}_z##. In a certain length ##L## of the particle's path, there is an additional, weak magnetic field ##\textbf{B}_\perp=B_\perp \textbf{e}_x##. Assuming the electron has magnetic moment ##\mu## then
$$
H(t) = H_0 + V(t)
$$
where ##H_0=-\mu B \sigma_z## and
$$
V(t)=\begin{cases}
-\mu B_\perp \sigma_x, \ \text{ for } 0<t<l/v\\
0, \ \text { otherwise}
\end{cases}
$$
Assuming the particle starts out in the ##|+\rangle## state (spin-up along the ##z##-axis) then I found using perturbation theory that the probability that the spin flips to ##|-\rangle## after time ##t>L/v## is
$$
P(t>L/v) = \bigg[\frac{B_\perp}{B}\sin\bigg(\frac{\mu B L}{\hbar v}\bigg)\bigg]^2
$$
I am wondering how I could derive the result without assuming that ##B_\perp\ll B##?

My first instinct was to use the propagator to evolve the state from ##t=0## to ##t=L/v##:
\begin{align}
&e^{-iH(t)t/\hbar} = e^{i\mu\textbf{B}\cdot \boldsymbol{\sigma}t/\hbar} = \cos \bigg(\frac{\mu B't}{\hbar}\bigg)\mathbb{1}+i\sin \bigg(\frac{\mu B't}{\hbar}\bigg)\frac{B\sigma_z+B_\perp \sigma_z}{B'}\\
\implies & |+(t)\rangle = \cos \bigg(\frac{\mu B't}{\hbar}\bigg)|+\rangle+i\sin \bigg(\frac{\mu B't}{\hbar}\bigg)\frac{B|+\rangle+B_\perp |-\rangle}{B'}\\
\implies & |\langle-|+(t)\rangle|^2 = \bigg[\frac{B_\perp}{B'}\sin \bigg(\frac{\mu B't}{\hbar}\bigg)\bigg]^2
\end{align}
where ##B'=\sqrt{B^2+B_\perp^2}##. Taking the ##B_\perp/B<<1## limit (perturbative limit) then I recover
$$
P(t>L/v) = \bigg[\frac{B_\perp}{B}\sin\bigg(\frac{\mu B L}{\hbar v}\bigg)\bigg]^2
$$
as desired.

However, I'm not entirely sure if my approach of using the Schrödinger picture propagator ##U(t)=e^{-iHt/\hbar}## is correct. Indeed since ##H(t<0)## does not commute with ##H(t>0)##, there is no guarantee that the ##|+\rangle## state at time ##t=0^-## will not immediately jump and transition to some other state at ##t=0^+##, implying that assuming the state will be ##|+\rangle## at ##t=0^+## could be wrong. Why did my argument still yield the correct result?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It seems like I overlooked the simple fact that the state cannot change during a sudden, ##\textit{finite}## perturbation, so I was right in assuming that the spin would be ##|+\rangle## at ##t=0^+##.

To understand why the system's state must be continuous over the sudden perturbation in the Hamiltonian, we can write
\begin{cases}
i\hbar \frac{d}{dt}|\psi(t)\rangle = H_0 |\psi(t)\rangle, \ &t<0\\
i\hbar \frac{d}{dt}|\psi(t)\rangle = (H_0+V) |\psi(t)\rangle, \ &t>0
\end{cases}
Integrating from ##0^-=-\tau## to ##0^+=\tau## where ##\tau \rightarrow 0## then
$$
i\hbar(|\psi(\tau)\rangle-|\psi(-\tau)\rangle) = \int_{-\tau}^0 H_0 |\psi(t)\rangle \ dt + \int_0^\tau (H_0+V)|\psi(t)\rangle \ dt
$$
Since ##|\psi(t)\rangle## has to be continuous over ##(-\tau,0)## and ##(0,\tau)##, we can apply the Mean Value Theorem, which states that there must be some ##\tau_-\in(-\tau,0)## and some ##\tau_+\in(0,\tau)## such that
$$
\int_{-\tau}^0 H_0 |\psi(t)\rangle \ dt + \int_0^\tau (H_0+V)|\psi(t)\rangle \ dt = \tau (H_0|\psi(\tau_-)\rangle + (H_0+V)|\psi(\tau_+)\rangle)
$$
Taking the limit as ##\tau \rightarrow 0## we find that
$$
\lim_{\tau \rightarrow 0} (|\psi(\tau)\rangle-|\psi(-\tau)\rangle) = \frac{i}{\hbar}\lim_{\tau \rightarrow 0}\tau[H_0|\psi(\tau_-)\rangle + (H_0+V)|\psi(\tau_+)\rangle] = 0
$$
implying that ##|\psi(0^+)\rangle = |\psi(0^-)\rangle## (assuming ##V_0## is finite).