Ahmad Amer
This chapter presents key results on angular momentum in quantum mechanics, beginning with a theorem on the simultaneous diagonalization of commuting operators. The eigenvalues and eigenstates of both the total angular momentum operator and its z-component are derived. For a quantum rotator in the p-state with zero magnetic quantum number, it is shown that the most probable trajectory lies in a plane containing the z-axis, and the angular momentum vector is perpendicular to it. The procedure for angular momentum addition is explained in detail, including the use of Clebsch–Gordan coefficients to perform the explicit decomposition of tensor products of irreducible representations. The Bloch sphere representation of qubit spin states is introduced. The chapter then provides an experimental background to the discovery of spin, introduces the Pauli matrices, and demonstrates how they act on spin states. It concludes with the formulation of the Pauli equation, which incorporates spin into the framework of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. Metadata/Keywords: angular momentum, simultaneous diagonalization, magnetic quantum number, Clebsch–Gordan coefficients, spin, Pauli matrices, Bloch sphere, spin states, tensor product, Pauli equation
CRC Press eBooks•Nov 5, 2025•0 citations