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Journal of Mathematical Physics

The generalization of the binomial theorem

J. Morales, Antonio Flores-Riveros

Published Feb 1, 1989• 21 citations
Publisher

Abstract

As is well known, the binomial theorem is a classical mathematical relation that can be straightforwardly proved by induction or through a Taylor expansion, albeit it remains valid as long as [A,B]=0. In order to generalize such an important equation to cases where [A,B]≠0, an algebraic approach based on Cauchy’s integral theorem in conjunction with the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff series is presented that allows a partial extension of the binomial theorem when the commutator [A,B]=c, where c is a constant. Some useful applications of the new proposed generalized binomial formula, such as energy eigenvalues and matrix elements of power, exponential, Gaussian, and arbitrary f(x̂) functions in the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator representation are given. The results here obtained prove to be consistent in comparison to other analytical methods.

DOI
10.1063/1.528457

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As is well known, the binomial theorem is a classical mathematical relation that can be straightforwardly proved by induction or through a Taylor expansion, albeit it remains valid as long as [A,B]=0. In order to generalize such an important equation to cases where [A,B]≠0, an algebraic approach based on Cauchy’s integral theorem in conjunction with the Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff series is presented that allows a partial extension of the binomial theorem when the commutator [A,B]=c, where c is a constant. Some useful applications of the new proposed generalized binomial formula, such as energy eigenvalues and matrix elements of power, exponential, Gaussian, and arbitrary f(x̂) functions in the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator representation are given. The results here obtained prove to be consistent in comparison to other analytical methods.
An expansion equivalent to Taylor's series is derived for functions of two-operators of the form F(A + B) where B isa shift operator with regard to A; the result is obtained as a special case of a theorem due to Kermack and McCrea. The development in powers of Binvolves finite differences of the function F(A) instead of derivatives as in the case of commuting variables. Exponential functions can be factorized into two terms, each depending on one operator only. The result allows a Gaussian potential energy to be expressed as a product of exponentials involving only creation and destruction operators. Explicit results are derived for the matrix elements of such a Gaussian function in the representations which diagonalize the Hamiltoniana of the harmonic oscillator in one and two dimensions; they can be expressed in terms of Jacobi polynomials (finite hypergeometric series).
Abstract The exponential of an operator or matrix is widely used in quantum theory, but it sometimes can be a challenge to evaluate. For non-commutative operators X and Y, according to the Campbell-Baker-Hausdorff-Dynkin theorem, e X+Y is not equivalent to e X e Y , but is instead given by the well-known infinite series formula. For a Lie algebra of a basis of three operators {X, Y, Z}, such that [X, Y] = κ Z for scalar κ and cyclic permutations, here it is proven that e a X+b Y is equivalent to e p Z e q X e−p Z for scalar p and q. Extensions for e a X+b Y+c Z are also provided. This method is useful for the dynamics of atomic and molecular nuclear and electronic spins in constant and oscillatory transverse magnetic and electric fields.
Abstract An expansion equivalent to Taylor's series is derived for functions of two-operators of the form F(A + B) where B isa shift operator with regard to A; the result is obtained as a special case of a theorem due to Kermack and McCrea. The development in powers of Binvolves finite differences of the function F(A) instead of derivatives as in the case of commuting variables. Exponential functions can be factorized into two terms, each depending on one operator only. The result allows a Gaussian potential energy to be expressed as a product of exponentials involving only creation and destruction operators. Explicit results are derived for the matrix elements of such a Gaussian function in the representations which diagonalize the Hamiltoniana of the harmonic oscillator in one and two dimensions; they can be expressed in terms of Jacobi polynomials (finite hypergeometric series).
Elementary parameter-differentiation techniques are developed to systematically derive a wide variety of operator identities, expansions, and solutions to differential equations of interest to quantum physics. The treatment is largely centered around a general closed formula for the derivative of an exponential operator with respect to a parameter. Derivations are given of the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula and its dual, the Zassenhaus formula. The continuous analogs of these formulas which solve the differential equation dY(t)/dt = A(t) Y(t), the solutions of Magnus and Fer, respectively, are similarly derived in a recursive manner which manifestly displays the general repeated-commutator nature of these expansions and which is quite suitable for computer programming. An expansion recently obtained by Kumar and another new expansion are shown to be derivable from the Fer and Magnus solutions, respectively, in the same way. Useful similarity transformations involving linear combinations of elements of a Lie algebra are obtained. Some cases where the product eAeB can be written as a closed-form single exponential are considered which generalize results of Sack and of Weiss and Maradudin. Closed-form single-exponential solutions to the differential equation dY(t)/dt = A(t) Y(t) are obtained for two cases and compared with the corresponding multiple-exponential solutions of Wei and Norman. Normal ordering of operators is also treated and derivations, corollaries, or generalization of a number of known results are efficiently obtained. Higher derivatives of exponential and general operators are discussed by means of a formula due to Poincaré which is the operator analog of the Cauchy integral formula of complex variable theory. It is shown how results obtained by Aizu for matrix elements and traces of derivatives may be readily derived from the Poincaré formula. Some applications of the results of this paper to quantum statistics and to the Weyl prescription for converting a classical function to a quantum operator are given. A corollary to a theorem of Bloch is obtained which permits one to obtain harmonic-oscillator canonical-ensemble averages of general operators defined by the Weyl prescription. Solutions of the density-matrix equation are also discussed. It is shown that an initially canonical ensemble behaves as though its temperature remains constant with a ``canonical distribution'' determined by a certain fictitious Hamiltonian.
The Baker--Campbell--Hausdorff (BCH) formula plays a critical role in many branches of mathematics and physics. It expresses the logarithm of the product of exponentials of non-commuting operators as an infinite series of nested commutators of the operators involved. The Zassenhaus formula is the dual of the BCH formula: the exponential of a sum of operators is written as an infinite product of exponentials involving the operators and their commutators. In practical computations, however, one typically has to truncate the expansions, and so understanding the error committed by the resulting approximations and eventually providing suitable bounds for this error is of paramount interest. In this work we present a general strategy to derive rigorous error bounds and explicit error constants for the BCH and Zassenhaus formulas when the operators involved are skew-adjoint, as is the case for quantum evolution problems.