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Journal of Mathematical Physics

Eigenfunctions of the Electron Spin Operators

Don Secrest, Lloyd Martin Holm

Published Jun 1, 1964• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The problem of finding linear combinations of Slater determinants which are eigenfunctions of both the S2 and Sz operators is considered. The method of projection operators is used in forming eigenfunctions of S2. A recursion relation is given for the coefficients in the linear combination. Rules are given for selecting a complete linearly independent set of eigenfunctions and an explicit formula is given for the members of the set.

DOI
10.1063/1.1704172

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Construction of S2 Eigenfunctions by the Method of Spin Operators I: General Theory

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Construction of S2 Eigenfunctions by the Method of Spin Operators II: Six-electron Systems

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Theoretical modeling of many-electron spin systems

Bryan Conner

The study of quantum models for magnetism requires the diagonalization of large matrices. For electrons occupying a lattice of sixteen sites, the dimension of these matrices is 65,536 x 65,536. I have written a program in Mathematica to exploit symmetries of the model and render the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian matrix tractable. Specifically, the program utilizes four different operators: translational in the x and y directions (Tx and Ty), total spin in one direction (Sz), and total spin squared (S2). As symmetries, all of these operators commute with the Hamiltonian and therefore the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian are simultaneously eigenstates of these operators. In practice, the eigenstates of these symmetry operators are easier to discover then those of the Hamiltonian. The most difficult symmetry to exploit is the S2 symmetry. In order to generate this symmetry, I reference Clebsch-Gordan coefficient tables. These tables exist to aid in the addition of angular momentum under the laws of quantum mechanics. The tables are generally used to couple two spins. When adding sixteen spins, the coefficients are multiplied together iteratively, adding one spin at a time up to the desired number. The products of these coefficients are then employed to construct all 65,536 eigenstates of the S2 operator. Combined with the remaining symmetry operators, these states can be used to put the Hamiltonian into a simpler, block diagonal form that is readily diagonalized.

•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations
The problem of finding linear combinations of Slater determinants which are eigenfunctions of both the S2 and Sz operators is considered. The method of projection operators is used in forming eigenfunctions of S2. A recursion relation is given for the coefficients in the linear combination. Rules are given for selecting a complete linearly independent set of eigenfunctions and an explicit formula is given for the members of the set.
Given a function w completely antisymmetric in n variables, there may exist a set of n functions of one variable such that the given function is a Slater determinant in the latter. The first problem considered is that of obtaining a criterion for this to be the case for a given function. This problem is solved by considering the function w as a mapping of the space of functions in n − 1 variables onto the space of functions of one variable. A necessary and sufficient condition for the initial function to be a Slater determinant is then shown to be that the image space be n dimensional. This criterion is converted into practical algorithms which can be employed for the determination. The application of one of these yields the theorem that an arbitrary linear combination of the n + 1 Slater determinants in n variables formed from n + 1 one-variable functions can always be written as a single Slater determinant. It is further proved that if the image space of the mapping is m(>n) dimensional, the original function can be expressed as a linear combination of m!/(m − n)!n! Slater determinants in n variables formed from m one-variable functions. Playing an important role in the analysis is the product of the mapping described above by its adjoint (the product is simply related to Dirac's density matrix for a quantum mechanical system of identical particles) as well as the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of this Hermitian positive semidefinite mapping. The latter form a basis for a systematic approximation procedure for representing a given function by a single Slater determinant or by sums of Slater determinants formed from a particular number of one-variable functions, which yields results obtained previously by Löwdin. Problems of simultaneous approximation of sets of antisymmetric functions and possible physical applications to many-fermion systems are briefly discussed.
The study of quantum models for magnetism requires the diagonalization of large matrices. For electrons occupying a lattice of sixteen sites, the dimension of these matrices is 65,536 x 65,536. I have written a program in Mathematica to exploit symmetries of the model and render the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian matrix tractable. Specifically, the program utilizes four different operators: translational in the x and y directions (Tx and Ty), total spin in one direction (Sz), and total spin squared (S2). As symmetries, all of these operators commute with the Hamiltonian and therefore the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian are simultaneously eigenstates of these operators. In practice, the eigenstates of these symmetry operators are easier to discover then those of the Hamiltonian. The most difficult symmetry to exploit is the S2 symmetry. In order to generate this symmetry, I reference Clebsch-Gordan coefficient tables. These tables exist to aid in the addition of angular momentum under the laws of quantum mechanics. The tables are generally used to couple two spins. When adding sixteen spins, the coefficients are multiplied together iteratively, adding one spin at a time up to the desired number. The products of these coefficients are then employed to construct all 65,536 eigenstates of the S2 operator. Combined with the remaining symmetry operators, these states can be used to put the Hamiltonian into a simpler, block diagonal form that is readily diagonalized.