Two-level system

Lv Mengtian PB19000235

University of science and technology of china

June 17,2021

Abstract
Two-level system (also known as a two-state system) is a quantum system that can exist in
any quantum superposition of two independent quantum states. The Hilbert space describing such a
system is two-dimensional. In this thesis, we discuss certain general properties of two-level systems
and introduce the application of it. Such a discuss is meaningful because it enables us, using a
mathematically simple model, to bring out some general and important physical ideas.

I. General Concept

Two-level systems are the simplest quantum systems because the dynamics of a
one-state system is trivial (as there are no other states the system can exist in). It is
still important. For many cases, we can use some approximation to simplify the
problem and change it into a two-level system.
As an example, for a physical system having two states whose energies are close
together and very different from those of all other states of the system. Assume that
we want to evaluate the effect of an external perturbation (or internal interactions
neglected before) on these two states. If the intensity of the perturbation is weak en-
ough, it can be shown that its effect on the two states can be calculated by ignoring
all the other energy levels of the system to a first approximation. So all the calcula-
tions can be performed in a two-dimensional space as a two-level system.

II. Hypothesis

Consider a two-level system with two eigenstates |𝜑 ⟩ and |𝜑 ⟩ with energy 𝐸 and
𝐸 . The Hamiltonian is 𝐻 .
We have
𝐻 |𝜑 ⟩ = 𝐸 |𝜑 ⟩
(1)
𝐻 |𝜑 ⟩ = 𝐸 |𝜑 ⟩
This basis is orthonormal, 𝜑 𝜑 = 𝛿 ; 𝑖, 𝑗 = 𝑎, 𝑏
In matrix form,
 𝐸 0
𝐻 = (2)
0 𝐸
0 𝑉
Now we consider the coupling with 𝑉 in matrix form
𝑉 0
𝐻 =𝐻 +𝑉 (3)
We assume that 𝑉 is time-independent.
Because 𝑉 should be Hermitian, so 𝑉 ∗ = 𝑉
Then we can write 𝐻 in another form:
𝐸 𝑉𝑒
𝐻= (4)
𝑉𝑒 𝐸

III. Eigenstate

Let’s start solving the eigenstate.

By solving the secular equation
det(𝐻 − 𝜆𝐼) = 0 (5)
and use

𝐸= , ∆ = (6)

We can get

𝐸 = 𝐸 + √∆ + 𝑉
(7)
𝐸 = 𝐸 − √∆ + 𝑉
The eigen vectors are
|𝜓 ⟩ = 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩ + 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩
(8)
|𝜓 ⟩ = −𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩ + 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩
𝜃 is defined by

𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = (9)
∆

If we show 𝐸 , 𝐸 , 𝐸 , 𝐸 as functions of ∆ in one graph, we get:

 Figure 1: Graph of the eigenenergy

We can see from the graph that when there is no coupling, the levels cross at the
origin. Under the effect of non-diagonal coupling V, the two levels becomes part of
hyperbola.
Now we consider two situations:
[Link] coupling with |𝑉| ≫ |∆|

|𝜓± = (|𝜑 ⟩ ± |𝜑 ⟩) (10)

√

The eigenstates are symmetric and antisymmetric combinations

[Link] coupling with |𝑉| ≪ |∆|
|𝜓 ⟩ = |𝜑 ⟩
(11)
|𝜓 ⟩ = |𝜑 ⟩

IV. Rabi Formula

Now we look at the dynamics.

Assume
|𝜓(𝑡)⟩ = 𝑐 (𝑡)|𝜑 ⟩ + 𝑐 (𝑡)|𝜑 ⟩ (12)
and the Schrödinger equation:

𝑖ℏ |𝜓(𝑡)⟩ = 𝐻|𝜓(𝑡)⟩ (13)

Project this equation onto the bases vectors |𝜑 ⟩ and |𝜑 ⟩

We get
𝑖ℏ 𝑐 (𝑡) = 𝐸 𝑐 (𝑡) + 𝑉𝑒 𝑐 (𝑡)
(14)
𝑖ℏ 𝑐 (𝑡) = 𝐸 𝑐 (𝑡) + 𝑉𝑒 𝑐 (𝑡)

We assume at the time 𝑡 = 0,

|𝜓(0)⟩ = |𝜑 ⟩ (15)
By using the results in part two:
 |𝜓 ⟩ = 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩ + 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩
(16)
|𝜓 ⟩ = −𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩ + 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑒 |𝜑 ⟩
We get

|𝜓(0)⟩ = |𝜑 ⟩ = 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑒 |𝜓 ⟩ − 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 |𝜓 ⟩ (17)

Add the time-depended part,

|𝜓(𝑡)⟩ = 𝑒 ℏ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑒 |𝜓 ⟩ − 𝑒 ℏ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑒 |𝜓 ⟩ (18)

So the probability amplitude of finding the system at time t in the state |𝜑 ⟩ is

⟨𝜑 |𝜓(𝑡)⟩ = 𝑒 (𝑒 ℏ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ⟨𝜑 |𝜓 ⟩- 𝑒 ℏ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ⟨𝜑 |𝜓 ⟩)

=𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑠 (𝑒 ℏ - 𝑒 ℏ ) (19)

And the probability is

𝑃 = |⟨𝜑 |𝜓(𝑡)⟩| = 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜃𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑡 (20)

ℏ

Use (7) and (9) simplify the equation:

√∆
𝑃= 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑡 (21)
∆ ℏ

√∆
Define 𝛺 = , the Rabi Frequency, then
ℏ

𝑃 = ∆
𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛺𝑡 (22)

It is a triangle function, the probability oscillates between 𝜑 and 𝜑

Figure 2: Graph of 𝑃

The amplitude is , 𝑃 = 1 when ∆ = 0, It represents the strong coupling.

∆

And if ∆ is big or 𝑉 is small (weak coupling), the probability to find system in 𝜑 is

very small.
 Figure 3: Graph of 𝑃 when the coupling is weak

V. Magnetic Resonance

We can use two-level system to solve some problems. For example, the magnetic
resonance.

Figure 4: The magnetic field

Consider a spin ½ subjected to a static magnetic field 𝑩 and a 𝑩 (𝑡) perpendicular

to𝑩 , which is of constant modulus and rotates about 𝑩 with an angular velocity 𝜔
Define
𝜔 = −𝛾𝐵 (23)
𝜔 = −𝛾𝐵 (24)
let | +⟩ and | −⟩ be two eigenvectors of the projection 𝑆 of the spin onto 𝑂 axis
So the wavefunction:
|𝜓(𝑡)⟩ = 𝑎 (𝑡)| +⟩ + 𝑎 (𝑡)| −⟩ (25)
The Hamiltonian is
𝐻(𝑡) = −𝑴 ∙ 𝑩(𝑡) = −𝛾𝑺(𝑩 + 𝑩 (𝑡))
= 𝜔 𝑆 + 𝜔 (𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜔𝑡𝑆 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔𝑡𝑆 ) (26)
Use Pauli Spin Matrix
 0 1 0 −𝑖 1 0
𝜎 = 𝜎 = 𝜎 = (27)
1 0 𝑖 0 0 −1
and
ℏ 0 1 ℏ 0 −𝑖 ℏ 1 0
𝑆 =2 𝑆 =2 𝑆 =2 (28)
1 0 𝑖 0 0 −1
to simplify, we get
ℏ 𝜔 𝜔 𝑒
𝐻(𝑡) = (29)
𝜔 𝑒 −𝜔
Use (25) and (29), we can write the Schrödinger equation in the form:
𝑖 𝑎 (𝑡) = 𝑎 (𝑡) + 𝑒 𝑎 (𝑡)
(30)
𝑖 𝑎 (𝑡) = − 𝑎 (𝑡) + 𝑒 𝑎 (𝑡)

Assume the spin is in the state | +⟩ at 𝑡 = 0,

Change it to the rotating frame, let
/
𝑏 (𝑡) = 𝑒 𝑎 (𝑡)
/
(31)
𝑏 (𝑡) = 𝑒 𝑎 (𝑡)
Substituting (31) into (30), we obtain a system which has constant coefficients:
∆
𝑖 𝑏 (𝑡) = − 𝑏 (𝑡) + 𝑏 (𝑡)
∆ (31)
𝑖 𝑏 (𝑡) = 𝑏 (𝑡) + 𝑏 (𝑡)

∆𝜔 = 𝜔 − 𝜔 (32)
By using the result of two-level system and calculating, we can use Rabi formula to get

𝑃 = ∆
𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜔 + ∆𝜔 2
(33)

It is the same as the classical result: a very weak rotating field is able to reverse the
direction of the spin.

References

[1] David J Griffiths and Darrell F Schroeter. Introduction to quantum mechanics.

Cambridge University Press, 2018.
[2] Jun John Sakurai, Jim Napolitano, et al. Modern quantum mechanics. Pearson
Harlow, 2014.
[3] Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Bernard Diu, and Frank Laloe. Quantum Mechanics (1
vol. set). Wiley-Interscience, 2006.
[4] Andrei Tokmakoff. Two-level Systems. University of Chicago, 2020.