What Is the Coherent State for This EM Field?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding a coherent state of the electromagnetic (EM) field that satisfies specific expectation values for the electric field components. The context involves quantum electrodynamics and the properties of coherent states.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the nature of the coherent state and its relation to the expectation values of the electric field. Questions arise regarding the definition and significance of the function f(r) and whether it represents a known quantity in electrodynamics. Some participants express confusion about the requirements of the problem and the implications of the coherent state definition.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants attempting to clarify the problem's requirements and the implications of coherent states. Some guidance has been offered regarding the assumption of a function f(r) and its role in the expectation value, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the function f(r) is not predefined and that the problem requires assuming a function to explore the coherent state. There is also mention of the relationship between coherent states and expectation values, with some questioning the uniqueness of the solution.

Raz91
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Homework Statement



Consider a state of the EM field which satisfies
\left\langle \textbf{E}_x(\vec{r})\right\rangle =f(\vec{r})

Find a coherent state which satises these expectation values.

Homework Equations



\textbf{E}(\textbf{r})=\frac{i}{\sqrt{2 V}}\sum _{\textbf{k},\lambda } \sqrt{\omega _k}\left(e^{-i \textbf{k}\textbf{ r}} a^{\dagger }{}_{\textbf{k},\lambda } \hat{\epsilon }^*{}_{\textbf{k},\lambda }+e^{-i \textbf{k}\textbf{r}} a_{\textbf{k},\lambda } \hat{\epsilon }_{\textbf{k},\lambda }\right)

Coherent State :

a|\alpha \rangle =\alpha |\alpha \rangle

The Attempt at a Solution



I tried to calculate this , but i just don't understand what am I suppose to prove here?
isn't it trivial that the expectation value will be a function of r (vector) ?

I've got this :
<br /> \left\langle \textbf{E}_x(r)\right\rangle =\sum _{k,\lambda } \sqrt{\frac{2 \omega _k}{V}} \textbf{Im}\left(\alpha e^{-i k r} \epsilon _{x_{k,\lambda }}\right)Thank you !
 
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The point is to find a coherent state such that the expectation value of the electric-field components (operators) take the given (classical) field f.
 
I still don't understand where is it given ?
it's just a "new name" for <Ex> , isn't it?

of course the expectation value won't be an operator... so I don't see what's so special here or what should I do ...

or f(r) is a known function in Electrodynamics that i should know ?

Thank u ...
 
No, it's not a known function. You just assume a function \vec{f}(t,\vec{x}) and look for a coherent state |\psi of the electromagnetic field such that
\langle \psi | \hat{\vec{E}}|\psi \rangle=\vec{f}(t,\vec{x}).
 
but according to the defination of the electric field , any coherent state will lead to such an expectation value because it's an eigen-state of the annihilation operator.
 
Last edited:
As u can see , my result is depended on r (vector) for an arbitrary coherent state |alpha>...
 

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