Past exam of the theoretical physics II course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / 4 / c / Solution

Define the signed dimensionless displacementThe spatial translation operator is $T(x_0)=e^{-ip{x}_0/\hslash }$, and the phases of the new energy eigenstates are fixed by $|n^{\prime }⟩=T(x_0)|n⟩$. Their expansion coefficients are thereforeSince $p=i\sqrt{m\hslash \omega /2}(a^{†}-a)$,Set $A=-\lambda a^{†}$ and $B=\lambda a$. Their commutator is $[A,B]={\lambda }^{2}I$, which commutes with both operators. Thus the stated special case of the Baker--Campbell--Hausdorff formula is applicable and givesBecause $a|0⟩=0$,Taking the overlaps with $⟨n|$ therefore provesThis is the coherent state after shifting an oscillator equilibrium. Its normalization follows from $e^{-{\lambda }^2}{\sum }_n{\lambda }^{2n}/n!=1$.

There is a sign qualification in the printed expansion: $(m\omega x_0^2/(2\hslash ){)}^{n/2}=|\lambda {|}^n$ agrees with $(-\lambda {)}^n$ when $x_0\le 0$, equivalently $\gamma \ge 0$. For a general signed displacement $x_0>0$, the odd coefficients have the opposite sign in the specified translated basis. The squared displacement alone fixes the occupation probabilities, not these coherent relative phases. The two-exponential identity also requires the central-commutator condition used above; it is not valid in that simple form for arbitrary operators.