Quantum Mechanics: Question 3 Review Spin Precession

Movember 2012

Motivation
Given an initial quantum state, what is the state at some later time? Given an initial quantum state, what are the probabilities of measuring spin (in various directions) as a function of time? Given an initial quantum state, calculate expectation values as functions of time. Concepts The solution to the Schr odinger equation (as discussed in lectures 8-11) Flipping spins using spin resonance

Schr odinger Equation

So far the key missing aspect is the ability to predict the quantum future. Postulate: The time evolution of a quantum system is governed by the dierential equation i h d | (t) = H (t)| (t) dt

where H is the Hamiltonian operator. It is an observable so it is a Hermitian operator1 . The eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian are the
i.e. it is equal to its Hermitian adjoint A thus it can act to the right on a ket or to the left of a bra with the same result. Hermitian matrices have real eigenvalues (which is good because we want observables to be real) and the eigenvectors of a Hermitian matrix comprise a complete set of basis states, which means we can use the eigenvectors of any observable as a valid basis.
1

allowed energies of the quantum system and the eigenstates of H are the energy eigenstates of the system. Allowing the possible energies as En we have H |En = En |En The energy eigenstates is the basis of choice for expanding general state vectors. It is called the energy basis and given by | (t) =
n

cn (t)|En

If the Hamiltonian is time-independent, the Schr odinger equation leaves us with a single dierential equation for each of the possible energy h where states of the system with the solution ck (t) = ck (0)eiEk t/ ck (0) = ck from now on Thus the time evolution of this state under the action of a timeindependent Hamiltonian is | (t) =
n h cn eiEn t/ |En = n

cn eit |En

meaning that the time dependence of the original state vector is found by multiplying each energy eigenstate coecient by its own phase factor that depends on the energy of that eigenstate. If the evolved state diers from the original state only by an overall phase factor, it does not aect any of the measurements. The dierent time-evolution phases of dierent components of | (t) lead to the time dependence in probability. Like said before, the overall phase drops out hence, the time dependence is determined by the dierence of the energies of the two states with corresponding Bohr angular frequency: = E2 E1 h

The recipe for solving a time-dependent problem with a time-independent Hamiltonian 1. Diagonalize H (nd the eigenvalues En and eigenvectors |En ). 2. Write | (0) in terms of the energy eigenstates |En .
h to get (t) . 3. Multiply each eigenstate coecient by eiEn t/

4. Calculate the probability Paj = | aj | (t) |2 .

Spin Precession (spin-1 /2 particle)

The Hamiltonian for these systems is H = B = e EB me

3.1

Magnetic Field in the z-Direction

0 The Hamiltonian simplies to H = eB me Sz = 0 Sz where 0 eB0 me . Thus the Hamiltonian in matrix form is

H=

h0 2

1 0 . 0 1

Since this is diagonal, the eigenstates of H are the basis states of representation while the eigenvalues are the diagonal elements of the matrix. So H |+ = 0 Sz |+ = h0 |+ = E+ |+ 2 h0 | = E | 2

H | = 0 Sz | = and E+ = |E+

h0 h0 , E = 2 2 = |+ , |E = |

Measurements
The orientation of the original state | (0) must be put in the same orientation as the applied magnetic eld because the magnetic eld determines the Hamiltonian which dictates the energy eigenstates You can measure the probability or expectation of having spin up along any other axis so long as you can write that axis in terms of the energy eigenstates of | (t) Probability: Px = | +| (t) |2 , P+x = |x +| (t) |2 , Expectation: Sz = (t)|Sz | (t) , Sx = (t)|Sx | (t) 3

 The expectation value of the total spin vector S precesses around the magnetic eld direction with angular frequency 0 , known as the Larmor frequency. This Larmor precession is analogous to the classical behaviour of a magnetic moment in a uniform magnetic eld.

3.2

Magnetic Field in a General Direction

You can redene a coordinate system such that the z -axis points along the direction of the new total magnetic eld. Then the solution would be like the Bz case, only with a new value for the magnitude of the magnetic eld. But lets keep going... We can dene the new magnetic eld to be B = B0 z + B1 x The Hamiltonian is H = 0 Sz + 1 Sx or as a matrix H= h 2 0 1 . 1 0

which diagonalized looks like H= h 2

2 + 2 0 1

cos sin . sin cos

if we let n be the unit vector that points along the axis of the total magnetic eld then the Hamiltonian is proportional to the spin component Sn along n : H=
2 + 2S 0 1 n

with eigenvalues and eigenstates as found in section 2.2.1 of the book |+ n = cos |+ + sin | 2 2 | n = sin |+ cos | 2 2

Measurement
Now that initial state must be written in terms of the direction of the magnetic eld Bz i.e. in the | n basis. Because this basis is complete, we can make use of the completeness relation to decompose the initial state. The completeness relation is: |+ +| + | | = 1

For example if | (0) = |+ then: | (0) = (|+ = |+

nn

+| + |

nn

|)|+ |+
n

nn

+|+ + |

nn

=n +|+ |+ n +n |+ | = cos |+ n + sin | n 2 2 Now the time evolved state is h | (t) = eiE+ t/ cos |+ 2 with energy eigenvalues E = h 2
2 + 2 0 1 n

h + eiE+ t/ sin | 2

The probability of a spin ip is: P+ = | | (t) |2 = =

2 1 2 2 + 2 sin 0 1 2 + 2 0 1 t 2

which is often called Rabis formula If there is no added eld in the x-direction then 1 = 0 and P+ = 0 because the initial state is a stationary state. If there is no eld component in the z -direction then 0 = 0 and P+ oscillates between 0 and 1 at the frequency 1 . This corresponds to spin precession around the applied magnetic eld in the x-direction with a complete spin ip from |+ to | and back again occurring at the precession frequency 1 . If there is a magnetic eld present in both directions the probability of a spin it never reaches unity and so there is no time at which the spin is certain to ip

Time Dependent Hamiltonians

If the Hamiltonian is time-dependent we cannot use the simple recipe given before.

4.1

Magnetic Resonance

In order to cause a complete spin ip from |+ to | we must apply a time-dependent magnetic eld that oscillates at a frequency close to the Larmor precession frequency 0 . By doing this we induce transitions between the energy states known as magnetic resonance. To understand, imagine going to a reference frame that rotates about the applied magnetic eld (in the z -direction) with the same frequency as the precession. An observer in the rotating frame would see the magnetic moment stationary and so would conclude that there is no magnetic eld in that frame. To ip impose a small magnetic eld perpendicular to the z -axis. Thus we can write the magnetic eld as: B = B1 cos(t)x + B1 sin(t)y where we allow the frequency to dier from the precessional frequency 0 Applying this reasoning to our earlier case we get a total magnetic eld: B = B0 z + B1 [cos(t)x + sin(t)y ] where the role of B0 is to split up the |+ and | states while the role of B1 is to make them ip between them. The Hamiltonian is: H = B = 0 Sz + 1 [cos(t)Sx + sin(t)Sy ] = h 2 0 1 eit 1 eit 0

which is clearly time dependent. The derivation that follows in not examinable so I will skip straight to the solutions of ipping. If | (t = 0) = |+ then P+ (t) = | | (t) |2 =
2 1 2 2 sin ( 0 )2 + 1 2 ( 0 )2 + 1 t 2

The static magnetic eld case (i.e. = 0) is generally referred to as spin precession, while the rotating eld case is referred to as Rabi opping. 6

 In the static applied magnetic eld case, the resulting spin precession is a manifestation of the natural Bohr oscillation of a quantum system that starts in a superposition of energy eigenstates. The initial superposition remains intact and there is no exchange of energy between the system and the applied eld. In the rotating applied magnetic eld case, the Rabi opping represents transitions between energy eigenstates, and there is exchange of energy between the system and the applied eld. The energy exchange occurs because the Hamiltonian is time dependent.

Light-Matter Interactions
This same model of the interaction between a two-level system and an applied time-dependent eld is used to explain how atoms absorb and emit light. The oscillating electric eld of the light wave interacts with the electric dipole of the atom, and energy exchange between the eld and the atom corresponds to absorption and emission of photons. Consider two levels of an atom, label the lower state |g and the upper state |e . The energy dierence is dened to be Ee Eg = h 0 The applied light eld (e.g. a laser beam) has frequency that is close to but not equal to the atomic Bohr frequency 0 . The Hamiltonian is H= h 2 0 1 eit 1 eit 0 = h 2 h 0 0 + 0 0 2 0 1 eit 1 eit 0

We can identify the rst term as the atomic Hamiltonian and the second term as the interaction Hamiltonian. Thus it is evident that the parameter 1 is really an o-diagonal matrix element of the interaction Hamiltonian that connects the two states: 1 = 2 e|Hint |g h

The Rabi formula then gives the probability for the light eld to cause transitions between the two atomic energy states. Transitions between the atomic states correspond to absorption (|g |e ) and emission (|e |g ) of photons in the light eld.