Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 4 34C b iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For , the angular momentum operator givesThe probability density is proportional towhose maximum occurs atIn a large disk of area , the states that fit inside satisfy . Thus the degeneracy of each Landau level is asymptoticallywhere is the magnetic flux. There is one state per magnetic flux quantum , up to boundary corrections.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 4 34D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Take and use the Landau gauge . With zero -momentum, the Hamiltonian becomesFor a state , this is a quantum harmonic oscillator in , centred atwith cyclotron frequencyThe Landau levels are therefore
Periodicity in quantizes . Requiring the corresponding oscillator centre to lie in an interval of length leavesallowed centres for each . This is the degeneracy of a Landau level, equal to the magnetic flux through the rectangle divided by the magnetic flux quantum . Consistent magnetic periodic boundary conditions make an integer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 ii Paper 4 34B c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Part (a) givesFortheir commutator is the scalarIt therefore commutes with both and . Applying the stated Baker--Campbell--Hausdorff identity in both orders yields the magnetic translation algebra
Writing , the translations commute exactly when their phase is one:Thus the cell flux must be an integral multiple of the magnetic flux quantum: