A Expectation value in Heisenberg picture: creation and annihilation

Bruno Cardin
Messages
6
Reaction score
1
TL;DR Summary
Hi. I posted this in homework, but it isn't really homework. I'm just someone who has spent 2 years in classical general relativity and find myself lost trying to re-do my final exam.
So, I have a hamiltonian for screening effect, written like:

$$ H=\sum_{k}^{}\epsilon_{k}c_{k}^{\dagger}c_{k}+ \frac{1}{\Omega}\sum_{k,q}^{}V(q,t)c_{k+q}^{\dagger}c_{k} $$

And I have to find an equation for the time evolution of the expected value of the operator ##c_{k-Q}^{\dagger}c_{k}##.

I wrote this, initially

$$ i\hbar\frac{d}{dt}c_{k-Q}^{\dagger}(t)c_{k}(t)= [c_{k-Q}^{\dagger}c_{k} , H] $$

as the time evolution equation for the operator in the Heisenberg picture. What I procceed to do is to plug a bra in the left <phi| and a ket in the right |phi> , with phi being an energy eigenstate, and then start raising and lowering energy levels since the operators ##c_{k}## are the anihilation operators (and with the dagger they switch to creation operators). But the result I have to get to, according to the exam's solution is:

$$ i\hbar\frac{d}{dt} < c_{k-Q}^{\dagger}(t)c_{k}(t) > = (\epsilon_{k}-\epsilon_{Q-k})< c_{k-Q}^{\dagger}c_{k}>+\frac{1}{\Omega}\sum_{k}^{}V(q,t)[<c_{k-Q}^{\dagger}c_{k-q} >- <c_{k+q-Q}^{\dagger}c_{k}>]$$

which has the expression of V in it.. this means I have to "open" the hamiltonian. I'm so rusty that that didn't even cross my mind. I don't get it. Could anyone help? Thank you in advance.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
This needs a bit more information. What (anti)commutation relations are satisfied by the ##c_k##'s ? Is your vacuum annihilated by ##c_k##? If not, then how is your vacuum defined?
 
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
I am reading WHAT IS A QUANTUM FIELD THEORY?" A First Introduction for Mathematicians. The author states (2.4 Finite versus Continuous Models) that the use of continuity causes the infinities in QFT: 'Mathematicians are trained to think of physical space as R3. But our continuous model of physical space as R3 is of course an idealization, both at the scale of the very large and at the scale of the very small. This idealization has proved to be very powerful, but in the case of Quantum...
Thread 'Lesser Green's function'
The lesser Green's function is defined as: $$G^{<}(t,t')=i\langle C_{\nu}^{\dagger}(t')C_{\nu}(t)\rangle=i\bra{n}C_{\nu}^{\dagger}(t')C_{\nu}(t)\ket{n}$$ where ##\ket{n}## is the many particle ground state. $$G^{<}(t,t')=i\bra{n}e^{iHt'}C_{\nu}^{\dagger}(0)e^{-iHt'}e^{iHt}C_{\nu}(0)e^{-iHt}\ket{n}$$ First consider the case t <t' Define, $$\ket{\alpha}=e^{-iH(t'-t)}C_{\nu}(0)e^{-iHt}\ket{n}$$ $$\ket{\beta}=C_{\nu}(0)e^{-iHt'}\ket{n}$$ $$G^{<}(t,t')=i\bra{\beta}\ket{\alpha}$$ ##\ket{\alpha}##...
Back
Top