Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-quantum-theory-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/2/e/ii/solution

Choose the first three energy eigenstates consistently as , and . The Fock vacuum is annihilated by both lowering operators, so
For example , while , giving the middle formula. Thus the simultaneous eigenstates can be chosen as
Their pairs of eigenvalues are respectively , and . The factor normalizes the combinations when the original three states are normalized. Mixing only inside the degenerate first-excited energy eigenspace preserves the energy eigenvalue while diagonalizing .

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