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