In class when we talked about the harmonic oscillator in QM we noticed that the eigenfunctions to the annihilation operator are coherent states in the sense that they have minimum uncertainty in momentum and position. My question is: What is the physical meaning behind this? Why are coherent states eigenfunctions to the annihilation operator and: Was this only a lucky punch and a special property of the harmonic oscillator or is this true for more physical problems?
Asked
Active
Viewed 144 times
0
-
Although your question isn't exactly a duplicate of the one I've linked, the accepted answer to the linked question answers yours as well. – John Rennie Dec 24 '13 at 15:35
-
Coherent state is defined to be the eigenstate of annihilation operator. So I suggest you to change the title to "Why is coherent state a minimal uncertainty state?" – anecdote Dec 24 '13 at 15:37