Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/paper-1/section-b/b7/solution

For observables with finite variances, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle gives ; in particular . It concerns the spreads of measurements in a prepared state, rather than only disturbance by a measuring device. Identical integer-spin particles have symmetric full states and Bose-Einstein statistics; half-integer-spin particles have antisymmetric full states and Fermi-Dirac statistics. The latter imply Pauli exclusion from one complete single-particle state, including spin.
Inside an infinite square well, solutions satisfying both zero boundary conditions are
with zero wavefunction outside. For the ground state, direct integration gives
The infinite-well ground-state uncertainty product follows:
The ground state is not a minimum-uncertainty Gaussian. Here momentum variance is the usual kinetic-momentum second moment of the confined state; the hard-wall momentum operator has domain subtleties that do not alter this kinetic-energy result.
For spin degeneracy in filling a one-dimensional well, let and assume the spin levels are degenerate and available. Four spin-zero bosons all occupy the lowest orbital, giving . Four spin- fermions fill two spin states in each of , giving . Spin- fermions have four spin projections, so all four can occupy in different complete states, giving . These fillings do not impose full spin polarization.

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