Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator

In summary, the student is looking for help with a problem involving the commutator of phi and pi. They have correctly typed in the problem statement, but they are missing an equals sign. After working out the commutator, they are able to get the time derivative of phi and pi.
  • #1
loops496
25
3

Homework Statement


Consider the quantum mechanical Hamiltonian ##H##. Using the commutation relations of the fields and conjugate momenta , show that if ##F## is a polynomial of the fields##\Phi## and ##\Pi## then
##[H,F]-i \partial_0 F##

Homework Equations


For KG we have:
##H=\frac{1}{2} \int d^3\mathbf{x}(\Pi^2 + (\nabla \Phi)^2 + m^2 \Phi^2)##
##\Phi(x) = \int \frac{d^3 \mathbf{p}}{(2\pi)^3 \sqrt{2E_{\mathbf{p}}}}(a_{\mathbf{p}} e^{-ipx} + a_{\mathbf{p}}^\dagger e^{ipx} )##
##\Pi(x) = \int \frac{-i d^3 \mathbf{p}}{(2\pi)^3 }\sqrt{\frac{2E_{\mathbf{p}}}{2}}(a_{\mathbf{p}} e^{-ipx} + a_{\mathbf{p}}^\dagger e^{ipx} )##
##[\Phi(t,\mathbf{x}),\Pi(t,\mathbf{y})]=i\delta^{(3)}(\mathbf{x}-\mathbf{y})##​

The Attempt at a Solution


[/B]
I have written ##F## as a generic two variable polynomial in ##\Phi,\;\Pi## but I don't know how to tackle that commutator, any help or hint is appreciated.
 
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  • #2
Start by looking at your problem statement. It sure looks like you have it typed in incorrectly, since there is no equals sign in it. What is it you are meant to be showing? The text ends with the word "then" so one would expect to have to show something equals something else.

Heh. It's funny that the forum's spell checker does not know the word commutator. It keeps trying to change it to commenter.

So you have the commutator of phi with pi. And you have the Hamiltonian in terms of phi and pi. So you should be able to work out [H,F]. You just remember your rules for integrals and "integration by parts" and things of that nature.

And then the only difficult part is relating that commutator to the time derivative you have. Assuming there is an equals sign in there some place. For that you are going to need just a little bit more information. For example, what is [H,phi]? And what is [H,pi]? Or, to put it another way, how can you get the time derivative of phi and pi?
 
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  • #3
Yes you're totally right I missed an equals sign! It should be
##[H,F]=-i \partial_o F##​
 
Last edited:
  • #4
First, can you compute ##[H,\Phi(\vec y,t)]##?
 
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  • #5
Yes indeed I can Avodyne, actually after some work using both commutators with the Hamiltonian I managed to prove what the original question asked. Thanks for the hints guys!
 

1. What is the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator?

The Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator is a mathematical expression used in quantum field theory to describe the relationship between the Klein-Gordon equation and the Hamiltonian operator. It represents the commutator of the Klein-Gordon field and its conjugate momentum operator, and is used to calculate the time evolution of a quantum system.

2. How is the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator derived?

The Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator can be derived using the canonical quantization method. This involves promoting the classical fields and momenta to quantum operators and imposing canonical commutation relations. By applying these commutation relations to the Hamiltonian operator, the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator can be obtained.

3. What is the significance of the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator?

The Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator is important because it allows for the quantization of the Klein-Gordon field, which describes spin-0 particles in quantum field theory. It also plays a crucial role in the study of relativistic quantum mechanics and the quantization of scalar fields.

4. How is the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator used in practical applications?

The Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator is used in a variety of practical applications, such as in the calculation of particle scattering amplitudes and the prediction of particle decay rates. It is also used in the study of quantum field theories and their applications in fields such as particle physics, cosmology, and condensed matter physics.

5. Are there any alternative formulations of the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator?

Yes, there are alternative formulations of the Klein-Gordon Hamiltonian commutator, such as the path integral formulation and the operator product expansion. These formulations provide different perspectives on the mathematical expression and can be useful in different contexts and calculations.

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