Quantum Action-Angle Variables for the Harmonic Oscillator

Abstract
Operators conjugate to the Hamiltonian are constructed explicitly for the quantum harmonic oscillator by two approaches in the space spanned by the eigenstates of q and the eigenstates of p. The operators are quantum analogs of a classical angle variable divided by the oscillator frequency. Matrix elements have been evaluated in the coherent state representation. Either conjugate operator can be used to construct an explicitly time-dependent operator invariant. It can be used as the starting point in a new perturbative procedure for constructing invariant operators for nonlinear, nonautonomous Hamiltonians.