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Simple Harmonic Oscillator

Consider an arbitrary state tex2html_wrap_inline359 describing the time evolution of a particle of mass m in a simple harmonic oscillator with spring constant tex2html_wrap_inline363 .

Show by explicit computation that

displaymath365

and

displaymath367

Use Ehrenfest's theorem to show that the average position at time t may always be written

displaymath371

where A and tex2html_wrap_inline375 are an arbitrary amplitude and phase, respectively.
Hint: First, determine tex2html_wrap_inline377 and then give the most general form of the solution for the resulting differential equation.

How does this compare with the classical result?



Prof. Tomas Alberto Arias
Mon Apr 7 11:35:08 EDT 1997