Time evolution of minimum uncertainty states of a harmonic oscillator
H. A. Gersch
A single closed-form expression is obtained for the probability amplitude ψ(x,t) for a harmonic oscillator whose initial state ψ(x,0) has a minimum value for the uncertainty product of position x and momentum p, Δx Δp=ℏ/2. This form describes both coherent and squeezed states. Oscillations in time for uncertainties in position and momentum, characteristic of squeezed states, are shown to follow directly from the derived form of ψ(x,t) and from Heisenberg equations of motion for operators x̂ and p̂. Expressions for average photon number and its uncertainty are obtained from calculations of average oscillator energy and fluctuations about this energy.
American Journal of Physics•Nov 1, 1992•15 citations