The Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula

Physics 341

The Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff (BCH) formula

 
eA eB = exp A + B + 21 [A, B] + 1
12 [A, [A, B]] + 1
12 [B, [B, A]] + . . .

is a very useful identity on combining exponentials of operators. For instance, finite motions along a
symmetry direction are exponentials of (anti)Hermitian operators, and so successive symmetry motions
are products of exponentials.
To prove the BCH relation we introduce

F (λ) = eλA Be−λA (1)

Note that
dF
= [A, F ] and F (0) = B
dλ
It is also convenient to introduce the operation ad(A) which acts linearly on the space of operators as
follows
ad(A)C ≡ [A, C]
(where C is some operator). Then the formal solution to the above differential equation is
∞
X λn n
F (λ) = eλ ad(A) B = (ad(A)) B (2)
n=0
n!

The nth power of ad(A) acting on B simply means taking the commutator with A successively n times.
Now consider the operator
G(λ) = eλA eλB e−λ(A+B)
It may be seen by differentiating and combining terms that
dG
= eλA eλB e−λB AeλB − A e−λ(A+B)


dλ
Assuming that
[A, [A, B]] = [B, [A, B]] = 0
we find using (1),(2)
e−λB AeλB − A = λ [A, B]
and
dG
= λ [A, B] G
dλ
which has the solution 2
1
G(λ) = e 2 λ [A,B]

Thus, again assuming A and B commute with [A, B] , we find

1
eA eB = eA+B+ 2 [A,B]

1
 More generally we may proceed as follows. Begin with the matrix

M (α, β) = eαA eβB

Letting Λ = M − 1, we define C(α, β) as

C(α, β) = ln( 1 + Λ(α, β) )

This leads to the two series expansions

∞
X (−1)p−1
C(α, β) = Λp
p=1
p

And
∞ X ∞
X αn β m ∂ n ∂ m
C(α, β) = C(a, b)
n=0 m=0
n! m! ∂an ∂bm a=b=0

Note that M (0, 0) = 1 and Λ(0, 0) = 0 . Also

∂Λ ∂M ∂Λ ∂M
= = AM and = = MB
∂α ∂α ∂β ∂β
If we simplify our considerations by only working to third order in α and β, it suffices to consider

C (3) (α, β) = Λ − 1
2 Λ2 + 1
3 Λ3

We begin to take derivatives

∂C (3) 1 1
AM Λ2 + ΛAM Λ + Λ2 AM


= AM − 2 (ΛAM + AM Λ) + 3
∂α
To compute the second α derivative we neglect any term which leaves two factors of Λ undifferentiated
since we intend to take only one more derivative.

∂ 2 C (3) 1
= AAM − 2 (AM AM + ΛAAM + AAM Λ + AM AM )
∂α2
+ 32 (AM ΛAM + ΛAM AM + AM AM Λ)

And similarly for the β derivatives. For the O(αβ) term, neglecting O(Λ2 ) terms

∂ 2 C (3) 1
= AM B − 2 (M BAM + ΛAM B + AM BΛ + AM M B)
∂α∂β

+ 13 (AM ΛM B + ΛAM M B + AM M BΛ + ΛM BAM + M BAM Λ + M BΛAM )

These relations lead to

∂C (3) ∂C (3)
C (3) (0, 0) = 0 (0, 0) = A (0, 0) = B
∂α ∂β
Also
∂ 2 C (3) ∂ 3 C (3) ∂ 2 C (3) ∂ 3 C (3)
2
(0, 0) = (0, 0) = 0 (0, 0) = (0, 0) = 0
∂α ∂α3 ∂β 2 ∂β 3

2
The O(αβ) term is
∂ 2 C (3) 1
(0, 0) = 2 [A, B]
∂α∂β
And the O(α2 β) term is
∂ 3 C (3) 1
(0, 0) = 6 (AAB − 2ABA + BAA)
∂β∂α2
Finally the O(αβ 2 ) term is

∂ 3 C (3) 1
(0, 0) = 6 (BBA − 2BAB + ABB)
∂α∂β 2
Thus we find the third order Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula

ln eA eB = A + B + 12 [A, B] + 12
1 1


[A, [A, B]] + 12 [B, [B, A]] + . . .

and with more labor one can work to any desired order in the expansion.