Quantum Harmonic Oscillator

with Ladder Operators

Kenneth Taliaferro
January 29, 2010
In Quantum Mecahnics, the state of a particle is given by a complex
valued function of postion x and time t such that |(x, t)|2 dx = 1.
Im looking for a solution to the Schrodinger Equation

ih

p2
=
+V
t
2m

k, and m are constants and

where h,

p = ih
x
1 2
V = kx
2

(momentum operator)
(potential energy operator)

After separation of variables ((x, t) = (x)(t)), this boils down to the

eigenvalue problem of nding twice dierentiable functions in L2 (R) such
that
H = E
where
1 2 m 2 2
p +
x
2m
2

k
=
m

H=

(right side of Schrodinger equation)

x is self adjoint because, for f, g D(x) L2 (R),

xf, g = xf (x)g(x)dx

= f (x)xg(x)dx
= f, xg.
By integration by parts, p is self-adjoint. Moreover, by the product rule,

[x, p] := xp px = ih.
Dene the ladder operators

)
(
m
i
a+ =
(raising operator)
x m p
2h

(
)
m
i
a =
(lowering operator)
x + m p
2h

Then a+ and a are adjoints of each other. Using the fact that [x, p] = ih,
it is straightforward to show that
[a , a+ ] = 1

h
H=
(2a+ a + 1)
2
+
[H, a+ ] = ha

(1)
(2)

Suppose that is an eigenfunction of H with eigenvalue E. Then

Ha+ = (Ha+ a+ H + a+ H)
= ([H, a+ ] + a+ H)
+ + a+ E)
= (ha
+ E)a+
= (h
Similarly,
i.e. a+ (if nonzero) is an eigenfunction with eigenvalue E + h.
This is why a+
a (if nonzero) is an eigenfunction with eigenvalue E h.
and a are called the raising and lowering operators.
1

Lemma 1: The only possible eigenvalues of H are h(n+

), n = 0, 1, 2, 3, ...
2

Proof: Use the raising and lowering operators. See the last page of this
document or [3], page 594.
Let E0 be the smallest eigenvalue of H. Let 0 be a corresponding normalized eigenfunction. Then
a 0 = 0
(3)
<
because otherwise a 0 would be an eigenfunction with eigenvalue E h
E0 . Thus, by (2),

0 = ha
a
( + 0)
h
0
= H
2
(
)
h
= E0
0
2

is given by
so E0 = h
. An eigenfunction with eigenvalue En = (n + 12 )h
2
n
n
a+ 0 (if a+ 0 = 0). Let n be a corresponding normalized eigenfunction
with eigenvalue En . Then, for some constant Cn+1 ,

n+1 = Cn+1 a+ n .
But,
1 = n+1 , n+1
= |Cn+1 |2 a+ n , a+ n
= |Cn+1 |2 n , a a+ n
)
(
1
H
2
= |Cn+1 | n , +
n
h 2
)
(

(n + 12 )h
1
2
= |Cn+1 | n ,
+
n

2
h
so

Cn+1 = (n + 1)1/2 .
It follows that
a+ n =

Similarly,
a n =

n + 1n+1 .

nn1 .

(4)
(5)

Therefore

1
n = an+ 0 .
(6)
n!
This is sucient for computing expectation values of powers of x and p
of the eigenfunctions because

h
x=
(a+ + a )
2m

hm
p=i
(a+ a )
2

For example, since eigenfunctions of a self-adjoint operator corresponding

to dierent eigenvalues are orthogonal and [a , a+ ] = 1, the expectation value
of x2 on the state n is given by
( )
h
2
n , x n = n ,
(a+ + a )(a+ + a )n
2m

h
=
n , (a2+ + a2 + a+ a + a a+ )n
2m

h
=
n , (a2+ + a2 + a+ a + (a+ a a+ a ) + a a+ )n
2m

h
=
n , (a2+ + a2 + 2a+ a + 1)n
2m

h
n , (2n + 1)n
=
2m

h
=
(2n + 1)
2m
0 can be found explicitly by solving the separable ODE (3). Let =
In terms of the variable y = x, (3) says
m/h.
)
(
d
y+
0 (y) = 0
dy
For any constant N0 , a solution is
0 (y) = N0 ey
i.e.

0 (x) = N0 e
4

2 /2

2 x2 /2

By (6),

(
n (x) =

n
2 n!

)1/2
e

2 x2 /2

Hn (x)

where Hn is the Hermite polynomial of order n. By separation of variables,

n (x, t) = e(iEn /h)t n (x).

Since the position distribution |n |2 doesnt depend on time, these are called
stationary states.

References
[1] Agnolet, G. Physics 412 Lecture Notes.
[2] Bransden, B.H. and C.J. Joachain. Quantum Mechanics.
[3] Kreyszig, E. Introductory Functional Analysis with Applications.

Proof of Lemma 1: As derived earlier,

[a , a+ ] = 1

h
H=
(2a+ a + 1)
2
+
[H, a+ ] = ha

(7)
(8)

Suppose is an eigenfunction of H with eigenvalue E. Let

E
1
E = .
h 2

(9)

Then, by (8),

a+ a = E.
Applying a to each side,
).
a a+ (a ) = E(a
By (7), a a+ = a+ a + 1, so
a+ a (a ) = (E 1)a .
Repeating the last two steps j 1 times yields
a+ a (aj ) = (E j)aj .

(10)

Now aj = 0 for suciently large j; because, otherwise, by (10),

j+1
j
j
aj+1
, a = a+ a (a ), a
= (E j)aj , aj

i.e.

aj+1 2
E j = j
0
a 2

(11)

for all j. Thus n N such that an = 0 but an+1

= 0. By (11), E n = 0.
By (9),
(
)
1

E = h n +
for some n {0, 1, 2, 3, ...}.
2
6