Expectation value in QM

<psi|L|psi> is mean of L, right?

Yes, exactly! The expression ⟨ψ∣L∣ψ⟩ represents the expectation value (or mean value) of the operator L
in the state ψ . In quantum mechanics, the expectation value of an observable corresponding to an
operator L in a quantum state ψ is calculated by this expression.

Mathematically:

⟨L⟩ = ⟨ψ∣L∣ψ⟩

This gives you the average result of measuring the observable corresponding to L in the state ψ .

so can you generate an example regarding this one?

Sure! Let's consider a simple example using the angular momentum operator Lz for a particle in the ​

state ψ .

Example:

Suppose we have the quantum state:

1 1
∣ψ⟩ = ∣1⟩ + ∣ − 1⟩
2 2
​ ​

​ ​

where ∣1⟩ and ∣ − 1⟩ are eigenstates of the Lz operator with eigenvalues:

​

Lz ∣1⟩ = ℏ∣1⟩,
​
Lz ∣ − 1⟩ = −ℏ∣ − 1⟩
​

Now, let's calculate the expectation value:

⟨ψ∣Lz ∣ψ⟩ ​

Steps:

1. Expand the expression:

1 1 1 1
⟨ψ∣Lz ∣ψ⟩ = ( ⟨1∣ + ⟨−1∣) Lz ( ∣1⟩ + ∣ − 1⟩)
2 2 2 2
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ ​ ​

2. Distribute everything:

1 1 1 1
= ⟨1∣Lz ∣1⟩ + ⟨1∣Lz ∣ − 1⟩ + ⟨−1∣Lz ∣1⟩ + ⟨−1∣Lz ∣ − 1⟩
2 2 2 2
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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 3. Substitute the eigenvalues:

1 1 1 1
= (ℏ) + (0) + (0) + (−ℏ)
2 2 2 2
​ ​ ​ ​

4. Simplify:

ℏ ℏ
= − =0
2 2
​ ​

Conclusion:

The expectation value is:

⟨Lz ⟩ = 0
​

Even though the particle is in a superposition of two angular momentum eigenstates, the expectation
value is zero because the two contributions cancel each other out.

what is a coherent state in term of Quantum photonics, can you generate numerical question
answers related to a Quiz on coherent state?

what is a coherent state in term of Quantum photonics, can you generate numerical question
answers related to a Quiz on coherent state?

A coherent state in quantum photonics represents a quantum state that most closely resembles a
classical electromagnetic wave. It is typically associated with the quantum state of light emitted by a
laser. Coherent states are eigenstates of the annihilation operator a^ with eigenvalue α:

^∣α⟩ = α∣α⟩
a

where α is a complex number representing the amplitude and phase of the light field.

Key properties of coherent states:

The mean photon number is ∣α∣2 .

The uncertainty in both quadratures (position-like and momentum-like observables) is minimal and
equal, satisfying the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
Coherent states exhibit Poissonian photon number distributions.

Here are a few numerical quiz-style questions on coherent states:

Question 1

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A coherent state ∣α⟩ is characterized by α = 2 + i. Calculate: a) The mean photon number ⟨n⟩.
b) The probability of detecting 3 photons P (3).

Question 2

If a coherent state has a mean photon number of 25, what is the probability of detecting exactly 30
photons?

Question 3

Verify that the uncertainty in the quadrature operators satisfies the Heisenberg uncertainty relation for
a coherent state with α = 1.

Would you like the solutions to these questions or more advanced ones?

please give solutions

Sure! Here are the solutions to the coherent state quiz questions.

Solution 1

Given:
α=2+i

(a) Mean photon number ⟨n⟩:

The mean photon number is given by:

⟨n⟩ = ∣α∣2

Calculate ∣α∣:

∣α∣ = (2)2 + (1)2 = ​ 4+1= ​ 5 ​

⟨n⟩ = ( 5)2 = 5 ​

(b) Probability of detecting 3 photons P (3):

The probability of detecting n photons in a coherent state follows the Poisson distribution:

⟨n⟩n e−⟨n⟩
P (n) = ​

n!
Substitute n = 3 and ⟨n⟩ = 5:

3 5 5
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 53 e−5 125e−5
P (3) = =
3! 6
​ ​

125 ⋅ 0.0067 0.8375

≈ ≈ ≈ 0.1396
6 6
​ ​

Solution 2

Given:
Mean photon number ⟨n⟩ = 25
Photon number n = 30

2530 e−25
P (30) =
30!
​

Using approximate values:

e−25 ≈ 1.39 × 10−11

2530
≈ 0.014
30!
​

P (30) ≈ 0.014 × 1.39 × 10−11 ≈ 1.95 × 10−13

Solution 3

For coherent states, the quadrature operators are defined as:

^ = 1 (a
X ^† ),
^+a P^ =
1
(a ^† )
^−a
2 i 2
​ ​

​ ​

The uncertainties are:

1
ΔX = ΔP =
2
​

Therefore:

1
ΔX ⋅ ΔP =
2
​

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle requires:

1
ΔX ⋅ ΔP ≥
2
​

Hence, the coherent state satisfies the uncertainty relation with equality — indicating that coherent
states are minimum uncertainty states.

Would you like me to generate more quiz questions or explain how coherent states interact with beam
splitters or displacement operators?

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 generate numerical with answers on:
create coherent state given number state
create coherent state given vacuum state
eigen values of coherent state

Sure! Here’s a set of numerical questions with answers on coherent states based on your request.

Question 1: Create Coherent State from Number States

A coherent state ∣α⟩ is given by a superposition of number states:

∞
∣α∣2 αn
∣α⟩ = e − 2
​

∑ ​
∣n⟩​

n=0 n! ​

If α = 2, calculate the probability amplitude of the number states ∣0⟩, ∣1⟩, and ∣2⟩.

Answer 1:

Substitute α = 2:
∞
2n
∑
2
− 22
∣α⟩ = e ​

​ ∣n⟩ ​

n=0
n! ​

First, calculate the exponential factor:

4
e− 2 = e−2 ≈ 0.1353
​

Now, calculate the probability amplitudes:

20
∣0⟩ : c0 = e−2 = 0.1353
0!
​ ​

21
∣1⟩ : c1 = e−2 = 0.1353 ⋅ 2 = 0.2707
1!
​ ​

22 4
∣2⟩ : c2 = e−2 = 0.1353 ⋅ ≈ 0.3829
2! 2
​ ​ ​

​ ​

Question 2: Create Coherent State from Vacuum State

A coherent state can be generated from the vacuum state by applying the displacement operator:

∣α⟩ = D(α)∣0⟩

If α = 3, calculate the probability of measuring 0, 1, and 2 photons.

Answer 2:

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The probability of measuring n photons in a coherent state is given by the Poisson distribution:
2
∣α∣2n e−∣α∣
P (n) = ​

n!
For α = 3:

∣α∣2 = 9, e−9 ≈ 0.0001234

Now:

P (0) = e−9 ≈ 0.0001234

91 e−9
P (1) = ≈ 9 ⋅ 0.0001234 ≈ 0.001110
1!
​

92 e−9 81
P (2) = ≈ ⋅ 0.0001234 ≈ 0.0045
2! 2
​ ​

Question 3: Eigenvalues of Coherent State

Given the coherent state ∣α⟩ with α = 4 + i, verify that it is an eigenstate of the annihilation operator
and find the eigenvalue.

Answer 3:

By definition:

^∣α⟩ = α∣α⟩
a

The eigenvalue is simply:

α=4+i

To verify:

^∣α⟩ = (4 + i)∣α⟩
a

The coherent state is indeed an eigenstate of the annihilation operator with the eigenvalue 4 + i.

Would you like me to generate graphical visualizations of photon number distributions for different
coherent states or go into squeezed coherent states?

no there is a relationship |alpha> = exp(|alpha|^2 /2) exp(alpha * creation Operator) |0>

Ah, I see now! You're absolutely right — that relationship expresses the coherent state in terms of the
displacement operator and the vacuum state.

The correct expression is:

2
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 ∣α∣2 †
∣α⟩ = e− 2
​

eαa^ ∣0⟩

This form highlights how the coherent state can be generated by acting on the vacuum state ∣0⟩ with
^† .
the exponential of the creation operator a

Explanation:

If we expand the exponential operator using a Taylor series, we get:

∞
^ † )n
(αa
e ^†
αa
=∑ ​ ​

n!
n=0

Applying this to the vacuum state:

∞
∣α∣2 αn
∣α⟩ = e − 2
​

∑ ​
∣n⟩
​

n=0
n! ​

This confirms that the coherent state is indeed a superposition of number states.

Do You Want Numerical Questions Based on This?

Here are some possible questions:

Question 1:

If α = 2, express the coherent state ∣α⟩ using the vacuum state and creation operator.

Answer 1:

We know:
†
∣α⟩ = e−2 e2a^ ∣0⟩

Expand the exponential operator:

∞
^ † )n
2 n (a
e ^†
2a
∣0⟩ = ∑ ​ ∣0⟩ ​

n=0
n!

Since:

^† ∣0⟩ = ∣1⟩,
a ^† )2 ∣0⟩ = ∣2⟩
(a

we obtain:

22 23
∣α⟩ = e −2
(∣0⟩ + 2∣1⟩ + ∣2⟩ + ∣3⟩ + ⋯ )
2! 3!
​

Question 2:

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Verify that the coherent state ∣α⟩ is normalized.

Would you like to see the normalization proof for coherent states or have more numerical examples on
displacement operators?

yes

Great! Let's verify that the coherent state is normalized.

Normalization of Coherent State

The coherent state is expressed as:

∞
∣α∣2 αn
∣α⟩ = e − 2
​

∑ ∣n⟩ ​ ​

n=0 n! ​

To prove normalization, we need to show:

⟨α∣α⟩ = 1

Proof:

First, write out the inner product:

∞ ∞
αn (α∗ )m
⟨α∣α⟩ = e −∣α∣2 −∣α∣2
e ∑∑ ​ ⟨m∣n⟩ ​ ​

n=0 m=0 n! m! ​ ​

Since ⟨m∣n⟩ = δmn , the double sum reduces to a single sum:

​

∞
∣α∣2n
⟨α∣α⟩ = e −∣α∣2 −∣α∣2
e ∑ ​ ​

n=0
n!

Now, the series is a Taylor expansion of the exponential function:

∞
∣α∣2n
∑
2
​ = e∣α∣ ​

n!
n=0

Therefore,
2 2 2 2 2
⟨α∣α⟩ = e−∣α∣ e−∣α∣ e∣α∣ = e−∣α∣ e∣α∣ = 1

✅ Conclusion:
We have shown that:

⟨α∣α⟩ = 1
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which proves that coherent states are normalized.

Would you like me to generate numerical examples where we calculate the overlap between two
coherent states or derive photon number statistics?

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