Paper 2, Section II, B
Part II, 2021
(a) Let be a basis of eigenstates of a non-degenerate Hamiltonian , with corresponding eigenvalues . Write down an expression for the energy levels of the perturbed Hamiltonian , correct to second order in the dimensionless constant .
(b) A particle travels in one dimension under the influence of the potential
where is the mass, a frequency and a length scale. Show that, to first order in , all energy levels coincide with those of the harmonic oscillator. Calculate the energy of the ground state to second order in .
Does perturbation theory in converge for this potential? Briefly explain your answer.