What is the significance of the expectation value
⟨Q⟩=∫ψ∗(x)Qψ(x)dx
of an observable Q in the normalized state ψ(x) ? Let Q and P be two observables. By considering the norm of (Q+iλP)ψ for real values of λ, show that
⟨Q2⟩⟨P2⟩⩾41∣⟨[Q,P]⟩∣2
The uncertainty ΔQ of Q in the state ψ(x) is defined as
(ΔQ)2=⟨(Q−⟨Q⟩)2⟩.
Deduce the generalized uncertainty relation,
ΔQΔP⩾21∣⟨[Q,P]⟩∣.
A particle of mass m moves in one dimension under the influence of the potential 21mω2x2. By considering the commutator [x,p], show that the expectation value of the Hamiltonian satisfies
⟨H⟩⩾21ℏω.