Ex. 6.

12
Since n
is a unit vector, we can expand it in Cartesian basis vectors as
Then, since L = Lxi + Ly j + Lz k,

n
= sin cos i + sin sin j + cos k.
we have Ln = n
L = sin cos Lx + sin sin Ly + cos Lz . By using
1
Lx = 12 (L+ + L ) and Ly = 2i
(L+ + L ), this leads to
Ln =

1
sin (ei L+ + ei L ) + cos Lz .
2

a) The possible results of a measurement of Ln are the eigenvalues of Ln

(postulate 4).
b) The expectation value of Ln is given as
hLn i = hlm | Ln | lmi = hlm |

1
sin (ei L+ + ei L ) + cos Lz | lmi.
2

Now, since hlm | L+ | lmi = hlm | L | lmi = 0 (because the states lm

are orthonormal, and the operators L+ and L raise or lower the quantum
number m by one) we have
hLn i = hlm | cos Lz | lmi = m~ cos .
For the expectation value of L2n we have first

2
1
sin (ei L+ + ei L ) + cos Lz
2
1
1
= sin2 (ei L+ + ei L )2 + cos2 L2z + sin (ei L+ + ei L ) cos Lz
4
2
1
i
i
+ cos Lz sin (e L+ + e L ).
2

L2n =

In the first expression 41 sin2 (ei L+ + ei L )2 , the only terms that will
matter when we compute the expectation value, are
1
sin2 (L+ L + L L+)
4
since a term containing L2+ (for example) will give zero. Similarly, the third
and fourth expressions can be ignored because the terms containing L+ Lz
or L Lz will give nothing. Thus, we get
hL2n i = hlm |

1
sin2 (L+ L + L L+ ) + cos2 L2z | lmi.
4

This gives


1
sin2 hlm | L+ L | lmi + hlm | L L+ | lmi + m2 ~2 cos2
4


1/2
1
2
hlm | L+ | lm 1i
= sin ~ l(l + 1) m(m 1)
4


1/2
+~ l(l + 1) m(m + 1)
hlm | L | lm + 1i + m2 ~2 cos2


1/2

1/2
1
2
= sin ~ l(l + 1) m(m 1)
~ l(l + 1) (m 1)m
4


1/2

1/2
+ ~ l(l + 1) m(m + 1)
~ l(l + 1) (m + 1)m
+ m2 ~2 cos2

hL2n i =


 1


1
= ~2 sin2 l(l + 1) m(m 1) + ~2 sin2 l(l + 1) m(m + 1)
4
4
+ m2 ~2 cos2
and so

1
hL2n i = ~2 sin2 l(l + 1) m2 + m2 ~2 cos2 .
2

Ex. 6.13
a) Let the ring lie in the xy-plane, with the centre as the origin. Then r
and p also lie in the xy-plane. So the angular momentum points in the
z-direction. Since the particle is free (except that it is constrained to move
on the ring), the potential V = 0. Thus the energy is purely kinetic. From
equation (6.130b) in the book the Hamiltonian is then
H=

L2z
2I

with I = a2 the moment of inertia of the particle with respect to the

origin.
Since the motion is in a plane (namely on the ring which lies in the xyplane), the spatial part of the wave function will depend only on one angular
variable, . We can then write
(r, t) = () exp(iEt/~).
Here, () is a solution of the time-independent Schrodinger equation H =

E. Now, since Lz = ih
we have
H() =

L2z
ih 2
() =
() = E().
2I
2I 2

Let k 2 = 2IE/i~. Then the solution is

() = Aeik + Beik
with A, B some constants.
Ex. 6.14
For j = 3/2, the matrices will be of dimension 2j + 1 = 4. The matrices
representing J2 and Jz are diagonal in the basis of eigenvectors | jmi. From
equations (6.167) and (6.168) in the book we deduce that

3/2 0
0
0
1 0 0 0

15 0 1 0 0
0
0
.
and Jz = ~ 0 1/2
J2 = ~2

0
0 1/2
0
0 0 1 0
4
0
0
0
3/2
0 0 0 1
To find Jx and Jy we first need the matrices representing J+ and J . We
have

1/2
(J+ )j 0 m0 ,jm = j(j + 1) m(m + 1)
~jj 0 m0 ,m+1 .
So we find that

0
0
J+ = ~
0
0

3 0
0
0
4 0
.
0
0
3
0
0
0

Then we have

0
0
0

3 0
0

J = J+
= ~
0
4 0
0
0
3

0
0
.
0
0

Now it follows that

3 0
0
0
1
1 3 0
4 0

Jx = (J+ + J ) = ~

0
4 0
3
2
2
0
0
3 0

and

0
3
0

0
1 3
0
4 0
.

Jy = ~

0
4
0
3
2i

0
0
3 0

Ex. 6.19

We need to solve the eigenvalue equations Sx v = v and Sy w = w. In

matrix form the x-component says

 
 
~ 0 1
x
x
=
.
y
y
2 1 0
The characteristic equation associated with this system is


~2
~2
0 = det ~
= 2

4
2
so that = ~2 . A normalized eigenvector corresponding to the two eigenvalues ~/2 and ~/2 are easily found to be
 
 
1 1
1
1

v1 =
and
v2 =
1
1
2
2
respectively. Similarly for Sy , we find the eigenvalues ~/2 and ~/2 with
normalized eigenvectors
 
 
1
1 1
1
and
w2 =
.
w1 =
2 i
2 i

Ex. 6.20
we have that
Writing n
= sin cos i + sin sin j + cos k,
n
S = Sn = sin cos Sx + sin sin Sy + cos Sz
or, by using the spin matrices,