Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/ii/paper-3/34d/solution

Expand the state in the energy eigenstates of as
Substitution into the Time-dependent Schrodinger equation and projection onto gives the exact interaction picture equations
In first-order time-dependent perturbation theory, put on the right-hand side and integrate from to :
For a uniform electric field, the electric-dipole interaction is up to an irrelevant overall sign. The supplied hydrogen atom wavefunctions give
For , the time integral is
The long-time transition fraction is consequently
Both and have even parity, whereas is odd, so the electric-dipole selection rule gives . Thus the requested fraction in is zero.

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