Chapter 8 Vector Spaces in Quantum Mechanics
Chapter 8 Vector Spaces in Quantum Mechanics
Chapter 8 Vector Spaces in Quantum Mechanics
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<strong>Chapter</strong> 8 <strong>Vector</strong> <strong>Spaces</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Quantum</strong> <strong>Mechanics</strong> 81We can now consider the probability amplitude 〈+|S 〉 obta<strong>in</strong>ed by replac<strong>in</strong>g S ′ by + <strong>in</strong>the above expression for 〈S ′ |S 〉:We have seen that we can put 〈+|+〉 = 1, so we have〈+|S 〉 = 〈+|+〉〈+|S 〉 + 〈+|−〉〈−|S 〉. (8.15)〈+|−〉〈−|S 〉 = 0 (8.16)which has to be true no matter what the state |S 〉 happens to be, i.e. no matter what valuethe probability amplitude 〈−|S 〉 is. Thus we conclude thatSimilarly we can show thatThus we can set up a comparison:〈+|−〉 = 0. (8.17)〈−|−〉 = 1 and 〈−|+〉 = 0. (8.18)〈+|+〉 = 1←→û ∗ 1 · û 1 = 1〈+|−〉 = 0〈−|−〉 = 1←→←→û ∗ 2 · û 1 = 0û ∗ 2 · û 2 = 1(8.19)〈−|+〉 = 0←→û ∗ 2 · û 1 = 0where we have chosen to make the comparison between the probability amplitudes and the<strong>in</strong>ner product of complex unit vectors as we are deal<strong>in</strong>g with probability amplitudes thatare, <strong>in</strong> eneral, complex numbers. This comparison implies the follow<strong>in</strong>g correspondences:|+〉 ←→ û 1 |−〉 ←→ û 2〈+| ←→ û ∗ 1 〈−| ←→ û ∗ 2 . (8.20)We know that 〈+|S 〉 and 〈−|S 〉 are both just complex numbers, so call them a and brespectively. If we now write|S 〉 = a|+〉 + b|−〉 (8.21)we establish a perfect correspondence with the expressionv = a û 1 + b û 2 . (8.22)On the basis of this result, we are then tempted to <strong>in</strong>terpret the ket |S 〉 as a vector expressedas a l<strong>in</strong>ear comb<strong>in</strong>ation of two orthonormal basis vectors |±〉. We can push the analogyfurther if we once aga<strong>in</strong> use the fact that 〈S |S 〉 = 1, so that〈S |S 〉 = 1 = 〈S |−〉〈−|S 〉 + 〈S |+〉〈+|S 〉 (8.23)On the other hand, the total probability of observ<strong>in</strong>g the system <strong>in</strong> either of the states |±〉must add up to unity, which means thatP(+|S ) + P(−|S ) = |〈+|S 〉| 2 + |〈−|S 〉| 2 = 1. (8.24)By compar<strong>in</strong>g the last two equations, and not<strong>in</strong>g that|〈±|S 〉| 2 = 〈±|S 〉〈±|S 〉 ∗ (8.25)