Simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation

In summary: So in short, equation 32 says that the sum of all m must be less than 1.5*|V| for the equation to be true, and that the constants are found by substituting in the expansion of the unperturbed eigenstate for |n^{(1)}>. Equation 34 says the same thing, but with the sum of all m equal to 1.
  • #1
dydxforsn
104
0
I'm reading through this pdf (http://www.pa.msu.edu/~mmoore/TIPT.pdf) on simple quantum perturbation theory and I'm quite confused with equations 32 through 34.

They have [tex]E_{n}^{(2)} = <n^{(0)}|V|n^{(1)}> = - \sum_{m \neq 0}{\frac{|V_{mn}|^{2}}{E_{mn}}}[/tex] but I would have done [tex]E_{n}^{(2)} = <n^{(0)}|V|n^{(1)}> - <n^{(0)}|E_{n}^{(1)}|n^{(1)}>[/tex] and then plugged in [itex]E_{n}^{(1)} = V_{nn}[/itex] from their earlier solution for first order terms. I don't know where I would have gone form there and I certainly couldn't even take a gander at how they end up with a summation either in this equation or in equations 33 and 34. Are there steps being omitted and/or can this be explained conceptually?

I have similar complaints about equations 33 and 34, though in equation 34 I have the first right hand side they end up with, but then again I have no idea about the summation that suddenly appears in the final answer. What am I overlooking/not thinking about?
 
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  • #2
Looking at Equation (24),
[tex]
\left\langle n^{(0)} \right.\left|n^{(1)}\right\rangle = -\frac{1}{2} \sum_{k=1}^{1-1}\left\langle n^{(1-k)}\right.\left| n^{(k)}\right\rangle = 0
[/tex]
so the [itex]\left\langle n^{(0)} \right.\left|n^{(1)}\right\rangle[/itex] term in what you wrote is zero.
 
  • #3
dydxforsn said:
They have [tex]E_{n}^{(2)} = <n^{(0)}|V|n^{(1)}> = - \sum_{m \neq 0}{\frac{|V_{mn}|^{2}}{E_{mn}}}[/tex]

The pdf document has a small typo in that the summation index should have m ≠ n rather than m ≠ 0

but I would have done [tex]E_{n}^{(2)} = <n^{(0)}|V|n^{(1)}> - <n^{(0)}|E_{n}^{(1)}|n^{(1)}>[/tex] and then plugged in [itex]E_{n}^{(1)} = V_{nn}[/itex] from their earlier solution for first order terms.

See if you can show the last term on the right is zero using equation (31).

I don't know where I would have gone form there and I certainly couldn't even take a gander at how they end up with a summation either in this equation or in equations 33 and 34. Are there steps being omitted and/or can this be explained conceptually?

Note that any vector can be expanded in the basis set ##\{|m^{(0)}>\}##. So, in particular the vector ##|n^{(1)}>## can be expanded as ##|n^{(1)}> =\displaystyle \sum\limits_{m \neq n}{c_m|m^{(0)}>}##. Equation (31) allows the sum to be restricted to m≠n.

Now use equation (30) to identify the constants ##c_m##. See what you get if you substitute this expansion of ##|n^{(1)}>## into ##E_{n}^{(2)} = <n^{(0)}|V|n^{(1)}>##
 
  • #4
He skipped a couple of steps. Equations 30 and 31 are
\begin{align*}
\langle m^{(0)} | n^{(1)} \rangle &= -\frac{V_{mn}}{E_{mn}} \\
\langle n^{(0)} | n^{(1)} \rangle &= 0
\end{align*} If you expand ##\lvert n^{(1)} \rangle## in terms of the eigenstates of the unperturbed Hamiltonian, you get
$$\lvert n^{(1)} \rangle = \sum_{m} \lvert m^{(0)} \rangle\langle m^{(0)} \lvert n^{(1)} \rangle.$$ Using equations 30 and 31, you end up with
$$\lvert n^{(1)} \rangle = \sum_{m \ne n} -\frac{V_{mn}}{E_{mn}}\lvert m^{(0)} \rangle.$$ When you plug this into the first line of equation 32, you get the second line.
 
  • #5
Ok, that definitely cleared everything up. Thank you for everything, I especially wouldn't have guessed that they were expanding corrections to the eigenstates in terms of unperturbed eigenstates. Wow, you'd think that would have been a part of the derivations they would have spent more than nothing on...

The nuances are beginning to make sense..
 

FAQ: Simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation

What is simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation?

Simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation is a method used in quantum mechanics to calculate the energy levels and wavefunctions of a system that has been slightly perturbed from its original state.

What is the purpose of using this method?

The purpose of using simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation is to accurately calculate the effects of small perturbations on a quantum system, allowing for a better understanding of the system's behavior and properties.

How does this method differ from other perturbation methods?

This method differs from other perturbation methods in that it is specifically used for systems that have non-degenerate energy levels, meaning that each energy level has a unique wavefunction.

What are the key equations involved in this method?

The key equations involved in simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation are the first and second order perturbation equations, which are used to calculate the corrections to the energy levels and wavefunctions of the system due to the perturbation.

What are some practical applications of this method?

Some practical applications of simple time-independent non-degenerate quantum perturbation include calculating the effects of external fields on atoms and molecules, as well as studying the behavior of electrons in solids under the influence of impurities or defects.

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