- #1
Kalidor
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Hi everyone. I am given a somewhat common potential well V(x)=0 for ¦x¦<a and infinite elsewhere. I am told that at t = 0 my particle is in a state represented by the wavefunction
\psi(x,0)= A(\sin{(\frac{\pi x}{a})}+ \sqrt{2} \cos{(\frac{3 \pi x}{2 a})})
where A is a constant use for normalization. It turns easily out that this constant equals \sqrt{\frac{1}{3a}}. On the other hand, the eigenfunctions in this situations are very well known to be \psi_n= \sqrt{\frac{1}{a}} \sin(\frac{n \pi x}{2a}) for n even and \psi_n= \sqrt{\frac{1}{a}} \cos(\frac{n \pi x}{2a}) for n odd. So given wave function can easily be written as a linear combination of the second and third eigenstates.
Now come the problems. At some point of the exercise I am asked to calculate the expected value of some operator but at some time t. This is how the professor writes the wavefunction at the generic time t:
e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}(E_2-E_3)t} \psi(x,0)
Now my question is: since the given state is a combination of 2 eigenstates, why in the world does he write the temporal evolution this way, with (E_2-E_3) in the exponent? Shouldn't it be something like
e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}E_2 t} \psi_2(x,0) - e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}E_3 t} \psi_3(x,0)?
Maybe some details are wrong but what I mean is I expect to find the sum of 2 exponentials whereas there is the exponential of a sum.
My idea is that (simplifying the notation) the ket |2> + \sqrt{2} |3> is of course different from the sum of the kets |2> and |3> but then why isn't the right expression something like
e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}(E_2-\sqrt{2}E_3)t} \psi(x,0).
Am I somewhat clear?
\psi(x,0)= A(\sin{(\frac{\pi x}{a})}+ \sqrt{2} \cos{(\frac{3 \pi x}{2 a})})
where A is a constant use for normalization. It turns easily out that this constant equals \sqrt{\frac{1}{3a}}. On the other hand, the eigenfunctions in this situations are very well known to be \psi_n= \sqrt{\frac{1}{a}} \sin(\frac{n \pi x}{2a}) for n even and \psi_n= \sqrt{\frac{1}{a}} \cos(\frac{n \pi x}{2a}) for n odd. So given wave function can easily be written as a linear combination of the second and third eigenstates.
Now come the problems. At some point of the exercise I am asked to calculate the expected value of some operator but at some time t. This is how the professor writes the wavefunction at the generic time t:
e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}(E_2-E_3)t} \psi(x,0)
Now my question is: since the given state is a combination of 2 eigenstates, why in the world does he write the temporal evolution this way, with (E_2-E_3) in the exponent? Shouldn't it be something like
e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}E_2 t} \psi_2(x,0) - e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}E_3 t} \psi_3(x,0)?
Maybe some details are wrong but what I mean is I expect to find the sum of 2 exponentials whereas there is the exponential of a sum.
My idea is that (simplifying the notation) the ket |2> + \sqrt{2} |3> is of course different from the sum of the kets |2> and |3> but then why isn't the right expression something like
e^{- \frac{i}{\hbar}(E_2-\sqrt{2}E_3)t} \psi(x,0).
Am I somewhat clear?
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