Norm of a vector related to coherent states

In summary, the conversation is about a person's attempt to derive an equality for any normalised ##\varphi##. They noticed a typo in the first summation and tried to prove it, but couldn't. They then tried to change it to an equality and shared their attempt to derive the second equality. Another person suggests using a different notation to make it clearer, and provides a hint to solve it. The first person realizes their mistake and agrees to check it the next day.
  • #1
JorisL
492
189
Hi,

For the past couple of days I've been attempting to derive the equality (for any normalised ##\varphi##)
[tex]||(a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi ||^2 = ||(a^\dagger+\bar{z}a+ \bar{\lambda} )\varphi ||^2 + (|z|^2-1)||\varphi ||^2[/tex]
First of the summation seemed like a typo. So I first tried to prove this but got nowhere. As such I tried to change it to an equality. ( I entertained this idea because I found, and verified, some other typos in previous equations )Below is an outline of my attempt to derive the second equality (assuming a typo)
Here we consider a system of bosons with only one mode hence ##[ a, a^\dagger ] = 1##.
I expanded the norm as ##||(a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi ||^2 = \langle (a^\dagger+\bar{z}a+ \bar{\lambda} )\varphi , (a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi \rangle##

I just cannot get a factor ##|z|^2## out of there. Because the inner product is defined as ##\langle\alpha \psi,\phi\rangle = \bar{\alpha}\langle \psi, \phi \rangle## while ##\langle \psi,\alpha\phi\rangle = \alpha\langle \psi, \phi \rangle##.

So the straightforward way doesn't work. Next I tried to use the first equality.
Lets call the two norms in this equality A resp. B, could I maybe use A-B was my idea.
Because in the text the commutation relations were mentioned which (could) show up directly this way.
I'm not going to write everything I tried (a lot) down here but I tried various tricks etc.

Thanks

Joris
 
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  • #2
JorisL said:
##||(a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi ||^2 = \langle (a^\dagger+\bar{z}a+ \bar{\lambda} )\varphi , (a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi \rangle##

It's a little clearer if you write it in the notation

$$||(a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi ||^2 = \langle \varphi| (a^\dagger+\bar{z}a+ \bar{\lambda} )(a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)|\varphi \rangle.$$

Then you will see that

$$||(a+za^\dagger+ \lambda)\varphi ||^2 - || (a^\dagger+\bar{z}a+ \bar{\lambda} )\varphi ||^2 = \langle \varphi| [a^\dagger+\bar{z}a+ \bar{\lambda} ,a+za^\dagger+ \lambda]|\varphi \rangle$$

and a bit of algebra on the commutator should lead you to the result.
 
  • #3
Thanks I will check this tomorrow since it's late already.
Unbelievable I didn't notice that, guess its one of those case where prolonged staring makes it worse :)

Joris
 

1. What is the definition of the norm of a vector?

The norm of a vector is a measure of its length or magnitude. It is calculated by taking the square root of the sum of the squares of each component of the vector.

2. How is the norm of a vector related to coherent states?

The norm of a vector is an important property of coherent states in quantum mechanics. It represents the probability amplitude of the state and is used in calculating the probability of measuring a certain outcome of a quantum system.

3. How is the norm of a vector calculated in quantum mechanics?

In quantum mechanics, the norm of a vector is calculated using the inner product between two vectors. This involves taking the complex conjugate of one vector and multiplying it with the other vector, and then taking the absolute value of the resulting complex number.

4. What is the significance of the norm of a vector in quantum mechanics?

The norm of a vector is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics as it determines the probability of measuring a certain outcome of a quantum system. It is also used in determining the normalization constant for wave functions.

5. Can the norm of a vector be negative?

No, the norm of a vector is always a positive real number or zero. In quantum mechanics, the probability of measuring a certain outcome can never be negative, so the norm of a vector must be positive to reflect this.

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