Jackson 3a Din143a-Reminder of Linear Algebra-12 September 2001 It is expected that you have learned linear algebra somewhere along the line. Here we launch into a very simple example using real matrices. The matrices that we will encounter in quantum mechanics are complex. The concepts are the same. . Consider the coupled pair of equations dv = Ww 5u, v=8att=0 i) dw oe =5ati= 2 Ge = wn de, wa5att=0 @) (3) This initial value problem can be written in matrix form. wo [So flesh “ & = Aa, a= teatt=0 (5) If @ in the above equation were a scalar the above equation then the form would be eae ee eo 6) a and the solution would be u(t) = ue” (7) With the vector form we will try as a solution dae @) This results in Awe @) At (10) This last equation is just the fundamental equation for for the eigenvalue A and eigenvector #, We can find eigenvalues by solving det(A =A) = ayIn our example, det [i 7 (12) =(41)0-2) (13) and A= -l, 2 a4) For ro cacaneeB ISB ” This and the similar equation for Az result in s-fhel c ot (i and ef (a7) ‘The differential equation that we are trying to solve is linear and homogeneous so resulting in solutions B= ce + Fy (1s) and ¢, and ¢) can be determined by the initial conditions to be ¢; = 3 and c = resulting in a final, complete solution of alt) = 3e~* ti +e J as) The point of this simple exercise is to show that the eigenvalues and eigenvectors are the “key” to solving the problem. The eigenvectors are the normal modes. The behaviour of the system is a linear combination of these normal modes, Each of the following conditions is necessary and sufficient for the number 4 to be an Cigenvalue of A. 1) There exists a nonzero vector such that AF = AF 2) The matrix A ~ AV is singular 3) det(A- AN) =0