Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ib/paper-2/17b/b/i/solution

Set . With the stated unit mass and oscillator frequency, complete the square:
Translation by preserves the spectrum of the quantum harmonic oscillator, and the last term is a constant energy shift. The displaced quantum harmonic oscillator therefore has
Its normalized eigenfunctions are the original oscillator eigenfunctions evaluated at , in particular the ground state is . The energy gaps remain .

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